Pérez’s 300th Grand Prix brings him home to Mexico’s roaring crowd

At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Sergio Pérez is set to mark his 300th Grand Prix this weekend, in his 10th home race and first home appearance in Cadillac colours. Inside Foro Sol, the former baseball stadium incorporated into the circuit, the welcome can be deafening. Pérez has said he can hear the crowd and feel its cheers from the cockpit.

Pérez has twice finished third at his home Grand Prix: he became the first Mexican driver to reach the podium there in 2021, then repeated the result in 2022. A first-lap collision with Charles Leclerc ended his race in 2023.

His path to F1 began on a kart track in Guadalajara. At six, he was often the youngest in his class but never the slowest. At 14, he left for Germany alone to race in Formula BMW. Homesickness hit hard, but he committed everything to his career, convinced that going home would mean never leaving again.

Pérez made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2011, becoming the first Mexican driver on the grid in more than 30 years. After spells with McLaren, Force India and Racing Point, his breakthrough victory came at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Five more wins with Red Bull made him the most successful Mexican driver in F1 history.

Now back in F1 after a year away, Pérez races for Cadillac, the series’ newest team. Results have been hard to secure, and a podium in Mexico could be a tall order, but his supporters remain committed. His success has helped bring more Mexican fans to F1 and broaden interest in motorsport in Mexico.