Sergio Pérez, specialist in urban circuits

At the cost of a well-executed race, Sergio Pérez won his first Grand Prix of the season, his fifth of his career, and his fourth with Red Bull. Already the poleman on Saturday, the Mexican driver once again showed that he was very comfortable on street circuits.

At Force India, the team with which he raced for five seasons, Pérez already showed great skill between the rails. In 2016, his only podium finishes were achieved in Monaco and Baku, both times in third position. Two years later, it was also in Azerbaijan where he stepped onto the eighth podium of his career, still behind the wheel of a Mercedes-powered Force India. This was his only Top 3 finish of the 2018 season.

An acceleration with the move to Red Bull

After winning his first victory in F1 on the outer track of the Sakhir circuit in 2020 with the Racing Point RP20, nicknamed the Pink Mercedes, Pérez was recruited by Red Bull to replace Alex Albon starting the following year. Driving an extremely competitive single-seater, the number of podiums for the Mexican driver naturally began to rapidly increase. From Baku 2021 to Jeddah 2023, Max Verstappen’s garage mate climbed the podium 18 times, earning four victories.

For his first victory with Red Bull, Pérez took advantage of the circumstances, particularly his teammate’s retirement due to a puncture, to secure his third podium finish in Baku. In 2022, still in the Azerbaijani capital, he finished second. In the six editions of the Grand Prix held in Azerbaijan, Pérez has thus reached the podium four times.

In 2022 as well, two victories can be credited to Red Bull’s driver, number 11. The first was in Monaco under wet conditions, at the end of a race marked by Ferrari’s strategic mishaps. It was crucial to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the unpredictable events, and Pérez skillfully avoided the traps of the Monaco circuit to secure a prestigious victory.

Later in the season, it is once again on an urban circuit that Pérez crosses the finish line as the winner. In Singapore, after achieving the second fastest time in qualifying, the Mexican driver made a better start than Charles Leclerc, who was on pole, and then went on to have a flawless race until the checkered flag.

So it was on a fourth different urban layout that Pérez secured his fifth career victory. It is worth noting that his only two pole positions were achieved in Jeddah, in 2022 and 2023.

Sergio Pérez’s 5 victories in Formula 1