Is Sergio Perez the most successful Mexican driver in F1?

Sergio Perez is the only Mexican on the F1 grid but how does he fare against his compatriots of the past?

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is one of the most popular drivers in the paddock. The 33-year-old from Mexico currently drives for reigning World Champions, Red Bull Racing. He joined the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2021 after a season of stellar performances at Racing Point. He was due to continue driving for the team in 2021 before the exit clause in his contract was invoked to make space for the freshly available Sebastian Vettel.

What followed was a long period of uncertainty during which many fans feared Perez would have to sit a few years out and wait for a seat to open up. However, the Mexican’s consistent performances and reliable nature proved attractive to Red Bull Racing, who signed him up for 2021 and beyond. Since the start of his stint with Red Bull, Perez’s performances have been marvelous.

He has collected 3 wins and several podiums since the start of his partnership with Red Bull. Before this massively fruitful collaboration, Perez spent most of his career in Mid-field teams, picking up the odd podium by benefitting from a frontrunner’s misfortune. Mexico has produced a total of 6 drivers since F1’s inception in the 1950s. While Perez is the only Mexican driver on the grid today, is he the most successful Formula One driver Mexico has produced?

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Sergio Perez takes top honors ahead of Mexican F1 legend Pedro Rodriguez

Perez is statistically the most successful driver Mexico has produced. With 4 wins and over 25 podiums, Perez is miles ahead of his closest compatriot, Pedro Rodriguez. Rodriguez raced in Formula One between 1963 and 1971. During his 9 season stint, Rodriguez managed to collect 2 wins and score 7 podiums. While this statistic seems minuscule compared to Perez’s tally of 4 and 25, one must consider the number of races entered.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Moisés Solana, Héctor Rebaque, and Esteban Gutiérrez round out the Mexican Formula One driver list. While all these drivers had noteworthy racing careers, they could not score any wins or podiums in Formula One. Perez has won 4 races from his 235 starts, thus earning him a Start to Win ratio of 1.7%. Rodriguez bests the Red Bull recruit in this statistic, as he holds the best Start to Win Ratio by a Mexican at 3.63%.

Blessing your feed with the most successful Mexican driver in #F1 ? pic.twitter.com/b2T4f3qU5V
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 17, 2022

Perez has entered 235 Grand Prix in his career spanning 12 seasons, whereas Rodriguez could only do 55 races during his stint, owing to the fact that the Formula One season used to have fewer races in the past. Therefore fewer opportunities to win. Another Mexican F1 driver of the recent past was Esteban Gutierrez. He raced for Sauber and Haas during his relatively small stint in Formula 1. Since 2018, Gutierrez has been under the employ of Mercedes, working as a simulator and test driver.

In 2021, Perez became the only Mexican driver to finish on the podium in the Mexican Grand Prix in history. The 33-year-old is the most successful and decorated driver to come out of Mexico. With a new contract, fans will see him race for Red Bull until the end of 2024. Supporters of the Mexican hope to see more success and eventually a World Championship title from him in the coming years.