The now-former Racing Point driver Sergio Perez was not impressed when he first walked into the team. The scene is from 2013 when he put pen to paper on a deal with the now-defunct Force India Team. They were under the ownership of Liquor baron Vijay Mallya back them and operated on a limited budget.
The Mexican was cruelly let go by Mclaren at the end of the 2013 season. Because of many driver errors, no team was looking to take a punt on him. However, Force India was different. They were in dire need of a driver of Perez’s ability and even more his substantial funding.
With no other options, he signed with the minnows. However, he was in for a shock when he took a step into their factory. Speaking to Will Buxton on his first impression with the team, he said –
“I was shocked (with) their first impression. I came from Woking going into, I think, probably the most impressive factory in Formula 1 history to the least impressive, modest place in the sport! Was shocked, yeah, this is my new team.”
Sergio Perez soon warmed to Racing Point
However, once he looked past their unflattering infrastructure, he found a dedicated bunch of workers on the team, “But then I met the people and straight away, saw how hungry they were for racing. That team was all about racing. There were no politics, they were pure racers.”
When Racing Point was not yet acquired by the Billionaire Lawrence Stroll, they were close to bankruptcy. The team had always been on the edge with finances under Vijay Mallya. However, the team was able to punch above its weight. And Perez attributes to it having ‘pure racers’ within the team –
“I think why this team has been successful with the amount of money they have had; with the amount of difficulties they have had is that they are pure racers.”
Even though he is moving on to new pastures with Red Bull, this will always be the closest team to his heart. And him, its most important driver. For he delivered unexpected Podiums and helped the team during its most difficult times. His legend shines bright at the British outfit.
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