Sergio Perez and his poor record at F1 Mexican GP
The 2023 F1 Mexican GP is Sergio Perez's home race. Often the great Nigel Mansell used to say that the home crowd gave half a second to the driver. Well, that is exactly what Perez will hope for this weekend as he tries to salvage a strong result for the myriad of fans that are going to fill the circuit.
There's something strange that pops up though when you look at the history of the F1 Mexican GP and Perez's record at the venue. The driver has not had the best time at the venue and if the Mexican was looking at that elusive half a second a driver gains from racing at home; it appears that the advantage has deserted him most of the time.
On that note, let's look at Sergio Perez's record at the F1 Mexican GP.
Sergio Perez's record vs his teammates at the F1 Mexican GP
Sergio Perez vs Nico Hulkenberg (2015)
The very first F1 Mexican GP return was in 2015 when Perez drove for Force India with Nico Hulkenberg as his teammate. In the very first race at the venue, he outqualified his teammate. He was P9 in qualifying while Hulk was P10.
In the race, however, the tide turned, and it was in the favor of the German. Hulkenberg finished the race in P7 while Perez was in P8.
Qualifying (1-0)
Race (0-1)
Sergio Perez vs Nico Hulkenberg (2016)
The second race in 2016 saw Perez get both outqualified and outraced. The driver qualified in P12 while his teammate was in P5 and in the race Hulkenberg finished in P7 while Perez could only get P10.
Qualifying (1-1)
Race (0-2)
Sergio Perez vs Esteban Ocon (2017)
In 2017, Perez was teamed up with the rookie Esteban Ocon. He was both outqualified and outraced by his young teammate at his home race. In qualifying, he was P10 while Ocon was P6 while in the race he was P7 while his teammate was P5.
Qualifying (1-2)
Race (0-3)
Sergio Perez vs Esteban Ocon (2018)
In 2018, once again, it was Ocon outqualifying Perez as the French driver was P11 while the Mexican was P13. In the race, Perez retired because of a reliability issue while Ocon finished in P11.
Qualifying (1-3)
Race (0-4)
Sergio Perez vs Lance Stroll (2019)
In 2019, Sergio Perez had Lance Stroll as his teammate and, as one might have expected, the Mexican got the better of the 24-year-old in both qualifying and the race.
Qualifying (2-3)
Race (1-4)
Sergio Perez vs Max Verstappen (2021)
In 2021, the Mexican was a Red Bull driver and was teamed up with Max Verstappen. In what was a strong race for the team, both Verstappen and Perez were on the podium, with Verstappen winning the race and Perez on the podium. Once again, though, he was outperformed in both qualifying and the race.
Qualifying (2-4)
Race (1-5)
Sergio Perez vs Max Verstappen (2022)
Perez was able to secure another podium last season as well, with Max Verstappen winning the race. The Mexican was able to jump George Russell from Mercedes and could get the job done for the team.
He was too far behind Verstappen and was outqualified and outraced by his teammate.
Qualifying (2-5)
Race (1-6)
Conclusion
When you look at Sergio Perez's record against his teammates over the years and you see the fact that the Mexican has only once finished ahead of his teammate, it's disappointing. What's more disappointing is that the only teammate he's beaten in his home race is none other than Lance Stroll.
While there are many who would claim that the home race is an advantage for them, Perez cannot make such a claim as his teammates have dominated him over the years.
Could we see something different this season? Could we see Perez getting the better of Max Verstappen this weekend? Looking at the Mexican's record in his home race over the years, it's hard to count on it.