How Perez saved his F1 Career

This is a real-life story about how Sergio Perez saved his Formula 1 career.

Let’s rewind the clock. 

You’re Sergio Perez. You’ve been racing in Formula 1 since 2011. You’ve also been racing for the same team since 2014, Force India. But in 2018, the Team owner, Mr Vijay Mallya is under investigation so legal and financial problems start piling up. in particular, many people haven’t been paid in the team. 

Perez knows. If this continues, there will be no team left in Formula 1. And around 400 people would lose their job. So he steps up. And he starts a legal proceeding against the team boss, Mr Mallya. 
This sent the team into administration, as it was one of the only ways to save the team. 

let’s talk about how sergio (checo) perez saved force india from financial ruin out of his OWN money & then basically carried their constructors points since & you guys still find the need to insult him as if he’s a problematic driver who doesn’t deserve the red bull seat.

— ana¹¹ (@aIphatauri) April 21, 2021

Force India is then brought by a group of investors and it starts to see a bit more stability.

In 2019, he signs a new contract with the newly rebranded racing point that keeps him on the grid until 2022.
It’s now 2020, it’s your second full season with Racing point under new management. 

The racing point team is still a midfield team at best. They always have been. They dont challenge for the wins, but for points. However, there are rumours that a 4-time world champion would be joining your team. But which of the 2 drivers would the team replace? 

Could it be you? Sergio Perez. Who stuck with the team in difficult times. Protected the jobs of a lot of people and had excellent race craft.
Or could it be your teammate? Who is the son of the new team owner? 
It was Perez. And he knew it. Midway through the season, the team announced that they would be replacing Perez with Sebastian Vettel for the next season.

Out of Formula 1?

Perez had no offers from any other teams yet. He had been racing with one team for a long time and his options looked to be diminishing. Nor had he had never won a race or even set a pole position yet. 

What he managed was 9 podium finishes scattered across his long twisty career in Formula 1. 

To make matters worse, it’s 2020, Covid was rapidly taking over the world and Health was a top priority. Perez even contracted covid and was out for 2 race weekends while he recovered. The 2020 F1 season was shorter than the previous years with just 17 races instead of the 21 races that were there in 2019. 

The stage is set

And that’s when we come to the second last race of the year. Sakhir , in Bahrain. Perez was still without a team for next year. It looked like his f1 dream was over. He set an impressive qualifying time and he qualified 5th, which was pretty good. 

But on the very first lap of the race, disaster struck. He was catching up with the front runners, But Leclerc locked up, and bumped into him luckily his car wasn’t damaged, but he was dead last, in 18th place at the end of the first lap. 

It was his second last race in Formula 1 . and he didn’t have a seat for the next season. So my man Perez just gave it the beans, he stepped on the gas, he went full send, you get my point. He went for it. 

Just send it

By lap 15, he climbed from p 18 to P11, the sakhir track is a track where power really mattered, and that year’s racing point had lots of it. By lap 20 he passed Redbull for p9.

There was a safety and Perez managed to get on the move quietly. He was soon third, behind the 2 Mercedes cars. But Mercedes screwed up their pit strategy completely, sort of like Ferrari in 2022 

all of us when mercedes fumbled the double stack pit stop at sakhir pic.twitter.com/4KgssSh8Tf

— alex (@redsafteycar) March 11, 2021

And their cars fell down the order. And Perez was leading the race. 

But the Mercedes were soon catching up. And looked like Perez wouldn’t get his first victory. But the racing gods had other plans. The Mercedes suffered a puncture and fell down the order once again. 

Magic in the Desert

And that ladies and gentlemen, is how after 190 race starts and in his 10th year of racing, Sergio Perez won his first ever Formula 1 race. look at how much it meant to him and the folks at the racing point. He was in tears on the radio and he told his engineer “Luis…Make sure that Checo Jr (Perez´s son) is watching the race, please.” 

Definitely, a great and emotional moment in Formula 1, that will always be remembered. 

His hard work was rewarded. He got a place at Redbull for the next year. A championship-contending car finally for the driver with a dream from Mexico. He’s currently 3rd in the championship and a Formula 1 fan favourite for sure.