The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the fifth win of Sergio Perez's Formula 1 career, but where does it rank among the other four? It was the largest win-margin on paper for the Mexican, who pulled out a convincing 5.3 second gap ahead of teammate Max Verstappen. But to all intents it was a lights-to-flag victory that looked inevitable, given Red Bull's superior pace throughout the weekend. RacingNews365.com ranks Perez's wins from last to first.
5. 2022 Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix returned in 2022 after spending two years out due to COVID-19, and it looked set to be another classic around the tough street circuit. All the drivers were forced onto the Intermediate tyre for the start after thunderstorms earlier in the evening. Perez did not waste much time in taking the lead from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, leading the race from then until the flag. There was some post-race controversy when the Mexican was investigated for falling more than 10 car-lengths behind the Safety Car on two separate occasions. He received a five-second time penalty for one offence, but had a big enough gap to Leclerc for it not to impact his position.
4. 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
A comfortable lights-to-flag victory for Perez after Verstappen suffered a driveshaft failure during qualifying, which forced him to start from P15. The Dutchman had led every practice session at that point, and decided to prove his point to Perez by setting the fastest lap of the race on the final lap – at the behest of the team. Even though Perez took the 25 points, the extra fastest lap point for Verstappen has enabled him to keep the championship lead.
3. 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
A tyre failure for leader Max Verstappen towards the end of this race caused a red flag while debris was cleared on the start/finish straight. With the race resuming on Lap 50 with a standing start with just one lap of racing, Perez started on pole from Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver tried to snatch the lead away from Perez with a move into Turn 1. But after inadvertently selecting the wrong brake mode – which took away his ability to brake sufficiently – Hamilton locked up at high speed and had to take to the escape road. This enabled Perez to take the lead for the remaining few corners, and with it earning his first victory for Red Bull.
2. 2022 Monaco Grand Prix
The question of whether Sergio Perez crashed on purpose during qualifying of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix to scupper his teammate's chances of setting the pole lap will linger for the rest of his time in F1. Although Perez did not start from pole, a botched pit-stop from Ferrari with Charles Leclerc enabled him to snatch the lead midway through the race and seal a victory around the famous streets. Verstappen was clearly irate about the situation however, later using it as ammunition when the team tried to secure second in the Drivers' Championship for Perez at the Brazilian Grand Prix by using team orders.
1. 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
It took Perez 10 years and moves across three teams before achieving his breakout win in Formula 1 at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. The race was the second to take place at the Bahrain International Circuit, only this time they used the 'Outer Circuit' layout which had a lap time of under a minute. Perez had been caught up in a crash at the start of the race triggered by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, forcing him to pit with damage. The Mexican then worked his way through the field and was given a lifeline when Jack Aitken caused a Safety Car and prompted a wave of pit-stops. George Russell, who made his debut with Mercedes that weekend, pitted and was put on an illegal mixture of his and teammate Valtteri Bottas' tyres. The confusion caused both Russell and Bottas to have to pit again under Safety Car conditions, enabling Perez to come through into the lead take the first win for a Mexican F1 driver since Pedro Rodriguez at the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.
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