Sergio “Checo” Pérez and a new path called Red Bull

Joy and evolution, but without a doubt, the arrival of Sergio “Checo” Pérez at Red Bull in Formula One also brings with it a great responsibility . The arrival of the Mexican driver to the Austrian team forces him to obtain great results because poor performance can derail what has been achieved to date.

Red Bull seems to be the only team that wants to compete face to face with the invincible Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, since the presence of an already consolidated figure like Max Verstappen, runner-up in the 2020 edition, is now joined by that of the Guadalajara born, who arrives at the Austrian house with a journey that supports it. He is no longer a rookie.

Also read: History Mercedes: from nothing to firm dominant Formula 1

Of course, the previous results obtained by Pérez in the 2020 campaign opened the doors of Red Bull . Winning the Bahrain GP plus a second place in Turkey turned the spotlight even more on him, not without detracting from the 10 years of experience he has accumulated in the top flight, which is why he has less margin for error. It's the opportunity of a lifetime .

It started with praise

For now, Perez continues to earn accolades, including from Eddie Jordan himself, a motorsports man and former Formula 1 crew chief, as well as currently being an analyst for Channel Four.

" With Pérez, Red Bull is getting a superior driver . Nobody thinks he is as fast as Max Verstappen, but nobody has done that yet. Pérez is a great driver who in the race will do what Red Bull expects of him: be close to Max and be able to pressure Mercedes with two cars . His predecessor, Alex Albon, was able to do it, "he mentioned to F1 Insider, in repeated statements by Marca.

Jordan expanded on his statements and criticized Aston Martin for "changing" Pérez for Sebastián Vettel and from that same criticism, the young pilot Lance Stroll received his share. "I really like Seb, but I think Aston Martin made a mistake signing him. The last two years against Leclerc at Ferrari have been pathetic. I don't know why it was so bad."

He complemented for the same medium by saying. “Vettel is a driver who has won four world titles, but is no longer at his zenith. In any case, I would have stayed with Pérez, and in Lance's case sometimes he drives well and sometimes he drives extremely poorly. It's anything but constant. "

In a similar position on the subject is the British leader Christian Horner. "Checo has a lot of experience and has been driving in F1 for 10 years. His performance last season was excellent and his racing performance very good . I think he can push Max more than Albon could. That will give us more strength to face Mercedes, "he pointed out to Marca.

A track record that supports you

The career of "Checo" in Formula 1 began in 2011 when he arrived at the modest Sauber team. Unsurprisingly, Pérez paid for the hazing that year by accumulating just 14 points with five runs in the top ten .

The achievements were gradual since in 2012 they came two second places (in Malaysia and Italy) and a third place (Canada) that made the automotive elite, and specifically at that time McLaren, place their interest on the Mexican.

Later, between 213 and 2020, and among many ups and downs, the Latin racer conquered six more podiums, for a total of nine in his career in the top flight, with last year's Sakhir being the most resounding, having obtained his first victory. in a GP .

Pérez is then preparing for his 11th Formula One campaign. Then he spent a year at McLaren Mercedes (2013) and, later, in 2014, he dressed in the Force India uniform, which later changed its name to Racing Point, where he remained for six years until 2020.

High expectations

During this preseason, “Checo” turned 31 years old and indicated that he felt strong and vigorous, like never before to face the highest sporting challenge of his career, he told ESPN.

Pérez has made no secret of his enthusiasm and during the second half of January he visited the Red Bull facilities in Milton Keynes . The Aztec does not want to leave anything to chance and took the opportunity to get to know the factory, his new colleagues and also ordered to make the seat of the car that he will drive in 2021.