Sergio Perez - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Bahrain Grand Prix team-by-team

TEAM-BY-TEAM review of Formula One's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday (listed in their current championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 2) Verstappen started the season with a grand slam of pole position, fastest lap (lap 39) and leading all 57 laps. The victory was the 55th of his career, and fifth grand slam, lifting Red Bull level with Williams in fourth place on the all-time list with 114. The gap to Perez of 22.457 seconds compared to last year's 11.987 advantage. Verstappen has now led the championship for 40 races in a row. Perez started fifth…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Verstappen finishes dominant season in record style

MOTORSPORT

RED Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen wrapped up Formula One's most dominant season with a record-extending 19th win in 22 races at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The pole-to-flag victory, for the fourth year in a row under the Yas Marina floodlights, left the 26-year-old alone in third place in Formula One's all-time list of winners with a career 54. Only seven times champions Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91) have won more. Sergio Perez finished second on the road for Red Bull but a five-second post-race penalty dropped the Mexican off the podium, behind Ferrari's Charles…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Las Vegas Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM analysis the Las Vegas Grand Prix, penultimate race of the Formula One season (listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 3) Verstappen took his record-extending 18th win of the season and Red Bull's record 20th of the campaign. The 53rd career victory also completed a U.S. triple for the year and sent him level with Sebastian Vettel in the all-time lists. The Dutch driver started on the front row and seized the lead at the start, pushing Ferrari's Leclerc wide and collecting a five-second penalty that he served in the pits. He then fought back…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Red Bull’s Verstappen seals third F1 title in Qatar

MOTORSPORT

RED BULL's Max Verstappen secured his third Formula One world championship after his teammate and sole title rival Sergio Perez crashed out of a Qatar Grand Prix sprint. Mexican Perez needed to finish in the top three places to keep the title open for another day, with the main grand prix on Sunday, but started eighth and dropped to 11th before tangling with Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Haas's Nico Hulkenberg on lap 11. The Red Bull was then stuck in the gravel, with Perez stepping out. That meant Verstappen, who was running in third place at the time and went…

May

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

Double delight for triumphant Perez in Baku

SPORT

SERGIO Perez beat teammate and championship leader Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and continue Red Bull's Formula One domination with a double success in Baku. Helped by a safety car period that fell in his favour after Verstappen had pitted, the Mexican made the most of his good fortune to take a sixth career victory and become the first driver to win the grand prix for a second time. Perez is now six points behind Verstappen with two wins each after four rounds and another challenge in Miami is only a week away. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Unhappy Perez says Verstappen showed “who he really is”

SPORT

ALAN BALDWIN RED Bull's Sergio Perez said teammate Max Verstappen showed "who he really is" after the double Formula One world champion refused to give back a place in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The radio comment came after the Mexican let Verstappen overtake on the understanding that the position would be returned if the Dutch driver could not pass Alpine's Fernando Alonso for fifth place. Perez needs every point to beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to overall runner-up while Verstappen has already clinched the title. Red Bull has never finished one-two in the drivers' standings. Perez and Leclerc are now…

Jul

2022

By ALAN BALDWIN

Sainz takes his first F1 win in Silverstone thriller

SPORT

FERRARI'S Carlos Sainz claimed his first Formula One victory in a thrilling British Grand Prix halted by a first-lap crash and with the added mayhem of a track invasion by environmental protesters. Red Bull's Mexican Sergio Perez was runner-up, 3.779 seconds behind the Spaniard, with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes in his home race and taking fastest lap for a bonus point. "Yes! We did it! Vamos!" exclaimed a delighted Sainz over the radio after a win that had looked unlikely despite him starting on pole position for the first time and in his 150th race. "I…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Sprint qualifying claims first victim

OTHER

FORMULA One’s newly revised sprint qualifying race provided late Saturday entertainment - to the benefit of pole-sitter Max Verstappen. The fiery Red Bull shot through a cannon off the start line to lead championship rival Lewis Hamilton into turn 1. The flying Dutchman retained position after a nervous first lap and will start the British Grand Pirx from the start of the grid. Verstappen’s teammate Perez, after being passed by Norris on lap one, spun out later in the race. Perez, a disappointed figure, earned the title of biggest loser from the inaugural event with the one of fastest cars…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Red Bull dominate French GP

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO RED Bull driver Max Verstappen won a fantastic French Grand Prix - passing reigning championship winner Lewis Hamilton of the penultimate lap at the Paul Ricard Circuit. Verstappen, who was aided by an exquisite team strategy, found himself making two stops where the rest of the field stuck to the premeditated one-stop strategy. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, fresh off his maiden Red Bull win, executed the one-stop strategy to perfection gaining a place on Mercedes' Valterri Bottas. The race in Le Castallet was Red Bull's first double-podium in over two years and the first time Red Bull has…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Electric Imola qualifying

SPORT

DEFENDING World champion Lewis Hamilton stormed through the final qualifying session claiming his 99th pole position of his illustrious career. Hamilton laid down a tough marker in the opening runs of the qualifying shootout with a provisional pole time of 1:14.411. Hamilton failed to improve on his final run, but the benchmark he set would be enough. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez put together a blistering final run in Q3 to qualify in second for his first-ever front row start. Perez qualified ahead of teammate Max Verstappen, who was out-qualified by a team mate for the first time since Malaysia…