A driver who had to play second fiddle to Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen once again last season, Sergio Perez will be hoping he can claim the spotlight in 2024.
From his early days at Sauber, McLaren and Force India, Perez is preparing for his fourth season with the dominant force in F1 in Red Bull.
Here's everything you need to know about the man from Guadalajara.
Born | 26th January, 1990 |
Age | 34 |
Birthplace | Guadalajara, Mexico |
F1 current team | Red Bull |
F1 previous team(s) | Sauber, McLaren, Force India, Racing Point |
F1 debut | 2011 Australian Grand Prix |
F1 titles | 0 |
F1 2024 odds | 25/1 |
It was back in October 2010 when Sauber confirmed Perez would be given a seat with the team to replace Nick Heidfeld.
There were early signs of things to come from Perez, as in his first F1 race he finished seventh at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
The youngster raised eyebrows as he was the only driver to make fewer than two stops that day, which was to end in disappointment for the team, as both cars were disqualified for infringing technical regulations.
Perez finished in 16th place in his first season with Sauber, before finishing 10th in the 2012 campaign thanks to three podium finishes.
Perez made the switch to McLaren in 2013 to replace Lewis Hamilton, with the Englishman making the decision to join Mercedes.
The Mexican had a turbulent relationship with fellow McLaren driver Jenson Button, with the pair touching on the track on more than one occasion.
Perez confirmed in November 2013 that he would leave McLaren and made a €15m move to Force India.
Enjoying seven years with Force India, who changed to Racing Point midway through the 2018 season, Perez's best finish in the Drivers' Championship was fourth back in 2020.
It was the year that saw Perez land his first F1 race win at the Sakhir Grnad Prix to become the 110th race winner in the competition's history.
That season was enough to catch the eye of major players Red Bull and Perez made the switch from Racing Point to the Milton Keynes outfit for the 2021 campaign.
Replacing Alex Albon to race alongside Verstappen, Perez made his Red Bull debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix with a fifth-place finish.
He would again finish in fourth in the Drivers' Championship, while also claiming his second F1 race win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Finishing third in the Championship the following year, Perez recorded a landmark victory at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix and also took the chequered flag in Singapore that season.
The 2023 campaign saw Perez finish second in the Drivers' Championship with wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan the highlight for the now experienced racer.
Finishing 285 points behind Verstappen in the standings at the end of the season, Perez will know there is plenty of ground to make up to leapfrog his Red Bull team-mate in 2024.
Perez's net worth has been reported to be around $75m.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.