Will Sergio Perez achieve success with Red Bull?

Sergio Perez, ‘Checo’, is a Mexican Formula 1 driver with an immense amount of talent and experience. Despite not having the opportunity to drive for a top team, he has shown his talents throughout his decade-long racing career. With 193 Grand Prix entries, Checo has scored around 700 points throughout his career. The recent 2020 season displayed some of his brilliance as he finished fourth in the driver standings, higher than the second Red Bull driver and both of Ferrari’s.

Surprisingly, Perez gained his maiden victory only last season during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, beating out both the Redbulls and Mercedes to the win. If any race was a spotlight to show his talents, it was indeed the Sakhir Grand Prix – he started 5th on the grid, spun into last position and managed to win the race amongst the Mercedes tyre drama. If there was any driver on the grid that deserved the Red Bull seat, it would definitely be Checo.

Another recent race that proved his ability, was the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix where he also stormed up the field from P17 to a finish in P6. Perez is a driver that carries a remarkable amount of talent. Recently he has shared the podium with the 7-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, and the 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. After his brilliant performance last season, it is no surprise that he has gained this top seat in one of the best cars on the grid.

The Red Bull seat, however, has proved to come with many challenges. Verstappen is quite clearly the future of the team and therefore their priority, causing many conflicts between their driver line-up over the last few years. Ricciardo initially held the seat before Verstappen but left the team as they began favouring Verstappen. Red Bull is known for their constant driver changes, even dropping Gasly halfway through the year.

In his very first interview for Red Bull, Checo spoke about some of the challenges he will face in the upcoming season – one of them being Verstappen. He, like most people, is aware that Verstappen is a force in the sport. Checo was enthusiastic in his response and ensured that he would bring the best to the team in spite of the challenges that Verstappen may place on him.

Having driven for Sauber, McLaren, Force India and the recent Racing Point teams, Perez is bound to bring both experience and knowledge to his new team. He emphasised his 10 years of experience whilst claiming that he will do his best to make the car more competitive. As a racing fan, it is refreshing to see such a talented driver claim this top seat, as I am certain he will outperform all of the last few Red Bull drivers.

The success Perez will claim this season is debated quite heavily. On the one hand, the second Red Bull seat is renowned for underperforming in comparison to their golden boy Verstappen. However, I strongly believe that every driver placed into the Red Bull seat since Verstappen was thrown too deep. The recent situation with Albon was clear in showing this – Red Bull placed very young and fresh drivers into their secondary seat and expected them to suddenly perform well in a car built for another person.

Due to his experience, talent, and ambition, Checo will do better in the Red Bull than any of the last few drivers. He is unbelievably talented and has shown this throughout his decade-long career in the sport. When bringing in new drivers to sit alongside Verstappen it is important to remember that they are adapting to a car built for Verstappen. Checo is great at adaptation and is keen to bring his talent to a new team.