Even by 2020 standards, Sergio Perez has had a roller-coaster year.
His win on Sunday was his first in 190 attempts in F1, a dubious new record but one he’d much rather have than no win at all.
It’s also remarkable for someone so talented. Perez has long been dubbed one of F1’s unrealised stars and it was the perfect exclamation point on a career which, until Sunday, had one obvious thing missing from it.
Yet he might not even have an F1 career beyond the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Dec. 13. Before his victory, the most notable moments of his year had been missing two races due to COVID-19 and having his contract torn up by his employer.
Here’s a look at Perez’s year so far and how his unlikely win came to pass.
COVID-19
Perez was ruled out of both the races at Silverstone this summer — the British Grand Prix and 70th Anniversary Grand Prix held on consecutive weekends — after testing positive for COVID-19. He was the first F1 driver to test positive and miss a race as a result.
Perez had caught COVID during a trip home to Mexico to see his mother, who had been admitted to hospital following an accident. He insisted he followed all the necessary protocols and safety measures set in place by the team and local authorities, including chartering a private aircraft for his trans-Atlantic flight.
While the trip home was understandable from a personal standpoint, from a racing point of view it was a bitter pill to swallow. By that stage of the season, Racing Point had clearly established itself as the third best team on the grid and was in a position to challenge for podiums if either Mercedes or Max Verstappen slipped up.
Perez’s stand-in, Nico Hulkenberg, did an admirable job and qualified third for the second event but ultimately fell short in the race and finished seventh. Given Hulkenberg’s limited experience with the car, it was fair to ask what Perez might have achieved had he been racing instead.
Despite those two missed races, Perez currently finds himself fourth in the championship on 125 points. If nothing else, that highlights just how well he has been performing in the races he has taken part in this year.
Sacked by Racing Point
In August, Racing Point announced Perez would leave the team at the end of the year and be replaced by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Perez had come into this season feeling confident the contract he had with the team (which ran until 2022) would be honoured, but Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll had different ideas.
While it’s never nice to be forced out of a team, for Perez it seemed especially cruel. Not only does Racing Point — due to become Aston Martin next year — look set to be very competitive in the coming years, Perez’s own history with the team led many to think he deserved better.
The Mexican triggered the legal proceedings in 2018 that ultimately prised the team from former owner Vijay Mallya and allowed it to enter administration and be purchased by a consortium of investors led by Stroll. It’s no exaggeration to say Perez played a key role in saving the team from extinction.
Perez himself mentioned this the week after the Vettel news was announced.
« It hurts a bit as I bet on the team during very rough times; we managed to overcome obstacles and I am very proud of saving the jobs of several of my teammates, » he said.
The decision clearly didn’t sit well with Perez but he responded to it like a model professional, consistently stressing his love for the team and his determination to go out on a high. Given the circumstances, Perez could have been forgiven for making things much more uncomfortable for Stroll and Racing Point and the fact he did not speaks volumes about his character and about how genuine his affection for the team is.
Perhaps not by coincidence, Perez’s form since that decision has been superb. Since the Belgian Grand Prix he has finished in the top ten at all but one race — when his engine failed four laps from the finish of last week’s Bahrain GP while running third.
At Imola’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a late decision to pit under Safety Car cost him a certain podium. At the Turkish Grand Prix he finished second following a sublime performance in changing conditions and had it not been for Lewis Hamilton’s magnificent performance ahead, Perez might have been a race winner in Istanbul.
A stunning maiden win
On the opening lap of the Sakhir Grand Prix, it looked like the race would end up being another frustrating ‘what if?’. Starting in a promising fifth place and moving up to third by Turn 4, a collision with Charles Leclerc knocked him to the back of the pack.
The engine failure seven days earlier had cost him a deserved third position. His response to that setback was another show of his character — Perez was quick to point out Romain Grosjean’s miraculous escape from an inferno at the start of that event had put his own misfortune in perspective.
On Sunday, Perez later admitted he was cursing his misfortune in the opening stages of the second Bahrain event. A lock up under the first Safety Car left his car with severe vibrations that led to him asking the team whether it was wise to retire. They didn’t and Perez stormed through the field.
As so often has been the case in modern F1, it looked like his reward would be best of the rest behind Mercedes … until the world champions dropped the ball. During the second Safety Car, Perez and Racing Point did not make the same mistake they made at Imola and the Mexican driver stayed out on aging tyres to inherit the lead.
« I think after what happened in Imola, when we did the wrong choice under the Safety Car, we were clear what we wanted to do here, » Perez said. « We were staying out. We were fairly confident I was going to be able to restart on [the] tyres and to be able to go to the end of with good pace. »
The decision was vindicated. Once a puncture curtailed a storming George Russell, Perez just had to bring it home. Somehow, after a career of things not falling the right way for him, everything came together perfectly for Perez.
It was a popular and amazing win.
Much like 2020’s other first-time winner Pierre Gasly at Monza, once the champagne had been sprayed a stunned Perez sat alone on the top step of the podium to take the moment in.
What’s next?
Remarkably, Perez is still without a race seat for next season and Sunday’s victory does not seem to have changed much.
Alex Albon’s future is still unclear and Red Bull is set to make a decision after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has closed out the season, but there is little to suggest the former world champions are leaning towards Perez. Red Bull conveniently cancelled Christian Horner’s media commitments after the race, meaning he did not have to face inevitable questions about why there was still a decision to be made.
Even on Sunday evening, Perez said his most likely option remains a sabbatical and a return to F1 with a different team in 2022. Red Bull seems committed to Albon, despite his clear failure to handle the pressure of being Max Verstappen’s teammate, and if it follows through on that decision it would mean it had overlooked two first-time race winners in Perez and Gasly to stick to its guns and keep Albon at the team.
So where does that leave Perez? The Mexican driver seems to have little desire to race elsewhere for the time being. He has suggested that during a sabbatical he might decide he’s done with racing altogether, which would be a shame after such a super run of form over the past few months.
Speaking on Sunday evening, he seemed happy with whatever is next for him.
« I’ve always said about ’22 there is a risk taking a year out at this stage of career I am, » he said. « You never know what will happen, if I have the will to come back or during that year I decide to stop.
« After today, after the last couple of races, I am so determined to be here. Either if its next year or the year. I already have some good options for ’22. My best option is obviously to keep going, but if I have to stop it’s not a disaster — I can come back. »
It feels quite on-brand for Perez that he could be in such an uncertain situation just after securing the best result of his career. Sunday aside, the stars have never aligned for him during his ten years in F1.
If it was still needed, Perez’s Sakhir Grand Prix win was a reminder of the talent F1 has had stuck in the midfield for the last seven years and how much he deserves a car to showcase his talent on a more regular basis. Whether he ever gets that car or opportunity remains to be seen.
Whatever happens, Perez has demonstrated what an asset he would be to any Formula One team. Several teams go into 2021 having picked less talented drivers than him.
If Abu Dhabi is his final outing in F1, he can say he leaves as a grand prix winner. It’s the very least a driver of his skill deserves.
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/30468658/sergio-perez-win-caps-crazy-year-highlights-uncertain-future
