Sergio Pérez, widely known as ‘Checo’ in the F1 circuit, is one of the fastest drivers right now. He played a crucial role in Red Bull winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2021. He is a very experienced driver and has managed to get 15 podiums and has won 2 races in his illustrious career so far.
Checo, alongside Max Verstappen, was too hot to handle for Mercedes, which is why Red Bull won the Constructors’ Championship. Checo won his second-ever F1 race by coming first in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and his five podiums, where sometimes he finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton, were key in his partner Verstappen winning the Drivers’ Championship.
Bio
Full name: Sergio Pérez Mendoza
Age: 26 January 1990
Place of birth: Guadalajara, Mexico
Nationality: Mexican
Current team: Red Bull Racing-Honda
Salary as driver: US$3.42m (according to Spotrac)
Salary as endorsements: ~US$1m (according to Essentially Sports)
First F1 appearance: Australian Grand Prix in March 2011 with Sauber (team-mate: Kamui Kobayashi)
First F1 race win: Sakhir Grand Prix in November 2020 with Racing Point Formula One
First F1 World Championship win: N/A
Sponsors
Telmex
Pérez has been associated with Mexican telecommunications company Telmex for quite some time now, with his association also helping Racing Point onboard it as a sponsor. Pérez’s ties with Telmex go back three decades, way before he was a competitive driver: Telmex have also had agreements with Sergio Pérez’s father Antonio Pérez Garibay and elder brother Antonio Pérez Mendoza. Sergio partnered with Telmex during his go karting days with the help of the connections of his mentor, Carlos Slim Domit.Even after his move to Red Bull Racing, Pérez has maintained ties with Telmex.
Telcel
Telcel is another Mexican telecommunications company sponsoring Sergio Pérez. It has been instrumental in helping Pérez stay and excel in Formula One and has been associated with him for over five years.
INTERprotección
One of the largest insurance brokers across Mexico and Latin America, INTERprotección also sponsors Sergio Pérez. The company has followed Pérez from Racing Point to Red Bull Racing, having sponsored the Mexican for over ten years. As part of the partnership, Sergio Pérez acts as a brand ambassador for the company and has also featured in a few of their marketing campaigns.
Uniclick
Uniclick is a subsidiary of Unifin. It is a fintech company that provides credit to SME companies in Mexico. Being a brand that supports South American companies, Uniclick has Sergio Pérez on its roster, who has been the face of many of the company’s digital campaigns.
Kavak
Kavak, founded in 2016, is an online marketplace that aims to bring transparency, security and access to financing to the used-car market. Sergio Pérez has partnered with the brand several times for its marketing campaigns, and its logo is also visible on his uniform during race weekends.
Previous Sponsors
Hawkers
Pérez was sponsored by sunglasses maker Hawkers till 2016. Controversially, when the company supported former US President Donald Trump’s plans of a Mexican wall, Sergio Pérez quickly dumped it.
Claro
A Brazilian company, Claro is a part of América Móvil, a Mexican telecommunications group. Claro serves a whole host of South American countries and was associated with Sergio Pérez for a long time till 2020, when it had to cut ties as it didn’t have enough funds due to COVID-19.
