Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez is celebrating. The Mexican Red Bull driver in Formula 1 turned 34 this Friday, January 26.
The Red Bull team celebrated ‘Checo’ on social media, remembering his best moments in F1 with the Austrian team. “We celebrate Sergio Pérez’s best moments in F1,” the team published and accompanied the post with photos of ‘Checo’ on the podium.
The photos that accompanied the publication correspond to the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2021, Monaco 2022 and Baku 2023, in which the Mexican driver took the victory.
The team made a mistake and pointed out that ‘Checo’ took first place in the 2023 Monza Grand Prix; However, the victory went to Max Verstappen, the Mexican’s teammate at Red Bull.
‘Checo”s victory in F1 with Red Bull that does not appear in the publication is that of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That GP was held last March, when Sergio Pérez was fighting for the lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship. At the end of the season and after the almost absolute dominance of Max Verstappen, ‘Checo’ managed to secure the runner-up position.
What ‘gift’ did Lando Norris give to ‘Checo’ Pérez?
‘Checo’ Pérez’s birthday was celebrated with posts from fans, drivers from other teams, such as Carlos Sainz, and even from some circuits that are part of the Formula 1 calendar.
However, one of the ‘gifts’ came from Woking, in England, headquarters of the McLaren team, where Sergio Pérez played a few seasons ago.
The British driver Lando Norris signed a multi-year contract with the McLaren Racing Formula One team, which extends his stay with the team beyond the end of 2025, as announced by the team this Friday, January 26.
Lando Norris, born on November 13, 1999, arrived at McLaren in 2019 as a Formula One driver, after a year as a test driver for the British team. He already has 104 participations in Grand Prix, with seven second places (six of them in 2023, where he added 205 points, finishing sixth in the World Championship in the drivers’ category).
“It’s a great feeling to be in ‘papaya’ (the color of the team in Formula One). I grew up with McLaren and I feel at home here, the team is like a family to me. The journey so far has been exciting, we have had ups and downs, but last season demonstrated our desire to compete at the front of the grid again,” said Norris.
According to Norris, the work done by McLaren in 2023 “has been incredible”: “I am confident in fighting for victories with McLaren. “I’m excited to create more amazing memories and continue working hard with everyone for years to come.”
McLaren, with Norris and the Australian Oscar Piastri as drivers, finished 2023 in Formula One with a total of 302 points, being fourth in the Formula One constructors’ standings.
Why is Norris’ signature a ‘detail’ for ‘Checo’?
The extension of Lando Norris’ contract with McLaren takes the British driver off the playing board, which means that Red Bull sees the deck of options to have a teammate of Max Verstappen more limited after the 2024 F1 season.
The new agreement between Lando Norris and McLaren comes after interest was reported from several teams, including Ferrari and Red Bull.
Although Norris did not deny that there had been conversations with other teams, the McLaren driver explained his decision. “It’s not just about resolving contracts. It’s, what one team can offer you and what another can offer you, and things like that.
Norris noted that talks with other teams did not gain the traction necessary to make them a reality. “Everyone talks to every team about what we might do one day, but nothing progressed more than that, basically. So yeah, it closed pretty quickly.”
“As soon as you start getting some of these questions, and I see a lot of them, then you have internal conversations with Andrea (Stella) and Zak (Brown) and whoever it is here at McLaren (…) Then you start talking about your things and you want to finish with some of these rumors, because it is not a good question for the team,” said Lando Norris, according to the Motorsport site.
When does ‘Checo’ Pérez’s contract with Red Bull end?
At the beginning of the 2023 season, the Mexican driver was questioned about his permanence in the highest category of motorsport beyond this year.
“There is so much time left that I don’t think about it. Right now, if you ask me, yes, I want to continue in this sport well beyond 2024, but it is a long time, many years. So I want to wait and see what happens, although it is very exciting and I would love to be part of it,” declared ‘Checo’ Pérez.
Sergio Pérez’s current contract with Red Bull ends at the end of the 2024 season; However, his father, Antonio Pérez Garibay, said that ‘Checo’ and his work team are already in talks with the team to see the possibility of extending the union for a second time. Checo’s father’s statements occurred during the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.
Christian Horner, the boss of Red Bull, has stated that they do not rule out the possibility of re-signing an agreement with ‘Checo’. However, one of the points that will be considered for a new contract will be the performance of Serio Pérez in this season that is about to begin.
“The ‘Checo’ seat depends on him. There is a very good dynamic between the two drivers, there always has been. You just have to remember what happened two years ago in Abu Dhabi. Let’s see how 2024 plays out. But it largely depends on ‘Checo’ more than exploring other options,” Horner said.
