Sergio Pérez

Sergio Pérez spent a decade in Formula 1 in cars that were good but never quite good enough, accumulating the experience and the skills — particularly his legendary tyre management — that eventually delivered him a seat in the best car on the grid. His years at Sauber, McLaren, and Force India/Racing Point produced occasional brilliance — a stunning win in the rain at Sakhir 2020 in a substitute appearance for Hamilton that showcased his abilities at their fullest — but mostly the quiet work of a driver extracting more than his car offered.

The Red Bull years from 2021 onward brought him to the front of Formula 1 and revealed both the ceiling of his ability and the specific qualities that made him invaluable to a team chasing world constructors' championships. His wins in Baku, Monaco, Singapore, and other circuits that reward tyre longevity and race management over single-lap pace were exactly the performances Red Bull needed from their second driver to accumulate the points that championship challenges demand.

His partnership with Verstappen produced the most dominant car-pairing in recent Formula 1 history. While Verstappen was winning 15 races in 2022 and 19 in 2023, Pérez was contributing second, third, and fourth-place finishes across the season — points that compounded into a constructors' championship margin of historic proportions. His role as a supporting driver was performed at a level that exceeded any comparable second driver in recent memory.

Pérez's significance to Mexican motorsport extends well beyond his results. He has built a following in Mexico that rivals the crowd at the Mexican Grand Prix itself — one of the best-attended races on the calendar — and has inspired a generation of young Mexican drivers and motorsport fans. His career is a reminder that Formula 1 rewards not just raw pace but the complete package of skills, and that tyre management and race intelligence are as valuable as any qualifying lap.