Checo’s Legacy and Where Latines Stand on the Track

January 18, 2025/in Comunidad, Mexico, Sports /by Mari Garcia

Sergio “Checo” Pérez and Oracle Red Bull Racing mutually ended their contract on December 18, 2024, marking the end to a powerful reign on the Formula One track. After a tumultuous 2024 season, fans speculated that Pérez would be replaced by Formula Two and recent Visa Cash App Red Bull (VCARB) racer Liam Lawson, despite earlier claims that Checo still had his seat. In his farewell statement, Pérez remarks that “[R]acing for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience,” squashing the bittersweet speculation amongst him and his former team.

Despite his struggles this season, Pérez is an accomplished racer. He won six Grand Prixs, five of which were won under Red Bull, and was second for the 2023 Formula One World Driver’s Championship. In addition, his determination contributed to Red Bull winning two Formula One World Constructors Championships alongside his former multi-world champion teammate, Max Verstappen. 

Nepotism isn’t an uncommon trope amongst Formula One Drivers; Pérez’s brother is a retired NASCAR racer and their father was a former Mexican congressman. However, Pérez struggled to enter the widely European-dominated sport and was often treated as an outsider. In a recent GQ interview, he remarks that the politicized atmosphere of Latin American motorsport racing was discouraging, but his work ethic contributed to the introduction of his long-term relationship with wealthy Mexican businessman Carlos Slim. With the help of Slim sponsoring the young Pérez, he left his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, at the age 15 years old for Vilsbiburg, Germany, working at a local restaurant in hopes of remaining close to the F1 track. By 2011, he debuted in Formula One under Sauber, kick-starting a momentous career for the Mexican driver. He went through it all over the next nine years: he was dropped by McLaren after one year of racing for the team, faced a long-term legal battle with Force India who filed for bankruptcy during his contract, and was soon dropped by Aston Martin for Sebastian Vettel in 2020. 

However, when he won the Sakhir Grand Prix later that year, he became a superstar, scoring a 4-year contract with Red Bull and broadened Latine and international audiences to his talent. In addition to it being his first win, it was a historic one as he was the first Mexican racer to achieve an F1 race win since Pedro Rodriguez in 1970. His introduction to European motorsports racing redefined cultural barriers, connecting important Latin American sponsors to various European teams. Pérez is more than just a racer—he’s an important asset in bridging the gap between European viewership to the rest of the Western Hemisphere and vice versa. 

His painful departure from Red Bull left many of his fans distraught. From fans jokingly refusing to buy Red Bull energy drinks to tear-jerking fan edits on TikTok, Pérez is a beloved racer. It left a bitter taste for fans who are questioning Red Bull’s persistent pattern of replacing senior drivers with junior stars. This isn’t a new pattern though. Former Red Bull and VCARB racer Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Lawson, similar to when Logan Sergeant was dropped by Williams Racing and hastily replaced by Argentine racer Franco Colapinto. Thus, the sudden changes created more speculation towards the end of Pérez’s season, with Red Bull Race Principal Christian Horner repeatedly commenting on Pérez’s future. The announcement that morning posed skepticism on Red Bull’s future in this upcoming 2025 season, given that Lawson’s performance remained inconsistent in comparison to his former VCARB teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

There’s an uncomfortable pattern of predominantly European teams discrediting BIPOC racers for their white counterparts, and Red Bull’s recent actions reflect this pattern. As of now, the 2025 grid has no projected Latino racers despite having contracts in locations such as Miami, Austin, Las Vegas, Mexico and Brazil, all of which have large Latine populations. How can we support a sport when our own people are undermined? 

Work is being done to combat discrimination; F1, Mission 44 and the Royal Academy of Engineers have jointly opened a new charter to foster diversity and inclusion within motorsports racing. Mission 44 was founded by seven-time world champion racer Sir Lewis Hamilton, who has experienced the difficulties of entering a competitive and exclusionary sport. The foundation actively seeks to bridge the gap between motorsports racing and STEM fields for BIPOC communities. This initiative would encourage not only the Formula One teams but the wider motorsports sector to provide equal opportunities to aspiring BIPOC racers. 

Checo stands out as a racer; he’s a symbol of the child-like but humble aspirations amongst Latines. When reflecting on his career, he says, “I’m just extremely proud of that kid,” lamenting the nearly three-decade struggle to achieve his dreams as a Formula One racer. His determination since his youth shines during the brightest moments of his career. He stands as a testament to Latines: we are dreamers who have aspirations beyond barriers, including the race track.