Pérez calls Carlos Slim his ‘second father’ and credits him with shaping his F1 career

Speaking to media ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Sergio Pérez called Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim his “second father” and said Slim had been his biggest supporter since he was young. “Without Carlos, I wouldn't be here.” Pérez added that Slim’s support went beyond money: he had followed both Pérez’s career and personal life, and had given him advice.

Pérez’s relationship with the Slim family dates back to his childhood. His father, Antonio Pérez Garibay, worked in motorsport promotion alongside Mexican racer Adrián Fernández. That connection brought the young Pérez into Escuderia Telmex, the driver-development programme founded by the Slim family in 2002 to support Mexican and Latin American racing talent.

Telmex funded Pérez’s move to Europe as a teenager to race in Formula BMW, and supported his progress through British Formula 3 and GP2. When he reached Formula 1 with Sauber in 2011, Telmex also signed a commercial partnership with the Swiss team, bringing sponsorship from América Móvil brands including Telmex, Telcel and Claro. The backing continued through McLaren, Force India, Racing Point and Red Bull.

Pérez said he was looking forward to the occasion, noting that he had not been there the previous year. The Mexico City race next weekend will be his 300th Grand Prix start.