Sergio Perez is one of the wealthiest drivers in F1. He comes from an upper-class family in Mexico and is one of the highest-paid stars in the sport today. However, his millionaire lifestyle full of glitz and glamour could have vanished into thin air, with a failed F1 career that was close to happening back in 2020.
Today, Sergio Perez is driving for Red Bull, which is arguably the strongest team on the grid. He is driving alongside the most dominant driver, Max Verstappen. But things weren’t so stable for the Guadalajara-born driver three years ago, when he was on the verge of leaving the sport.
Perez was a part of team Silverstone, which went by many names, most notably Force India and Racing Point. However, Lawrence Stroll, who wanted to rebrand the team to Aston Martin, wanted Sebastian Vettel instead of Perez, which is why he was let go. Red Bull came to his rescue at the very end, but Perez was close to suffering a huge misfortune, both in F1 and from a financial point of view.
Sergio Perez was close to losing his millionaire lifestyle
Sergio Perez wanted to make it to F1 from a very young age and worked hard to realize his dream as he grew up. Today, he has a fortune of about $50,000,000 according to Celebrity Net Worth. This gives him a life of luxury and comforts away from the track. Unfortunately, if he has a failed F1 career, he cannot sustain this lifestyle.
According to Minutod, Perez would have lost millions of dollars had he failed to secure a seat after Lawrence Stroll sacked him. This situation outside of F1 could have been avoided, had Perez managed to successfully begin his once-planned venture with Mexican singer Luis Miguel.
Luis Miguel y Sergio “Checo” Pérez se reencuentran en Madrid. 🫂🇲🇽🎤🏎️ pic.twitter.com/0r8xY4Mw1g
— lordsolecito (@lordsolecito_) June 10, 2023
Miguel and Perez met in Miami over ten years ago and planned on launching their own brand of Tequila. Because of their star names and popularity back home in Mexico, this venture could have made Perez even more wealthy. More importantly, it would have provided him with a healthy stream of income away from Formula 1.
Sadly, for Perez, things didn’t materialize, and he got busy with his own life in F1. Things could take a bad turn for the 33-year-old if he was to lose his F1 seat once again in the near future.
More misery for Perez at the Red Bull Ring
At a team like Red Bull, a driver is always expected to perform at their best. For Perez, things are not going particularly well at the moment. He failed to make it to Q3 for the fourth-consecutive race, which for Christian Horner, was inexcusable.
Friday’s qualifying is a wrap and Sunday’s grid is set. #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/k4Mq2Tp0ot
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 30, 2023
He will start the race from P15 on the grid, which makes it very difficult for Red Bull to aim for a double podium finish on Sunday. Perez’s teammate Max Verstappen meanwhile, will start the race from pole, and is aiming to extend his lead at the summit of the world championship with a win.
