Sergio Perez: “There are no coincidences in F1. There’s a reason why I’m always there when there’s an opportunity to take…”
F1 Beyond The Grid
karenellenbevan
4.7 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2019
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
He’s known as a driver who makes the most of every opportunity – in the thick of the midfield battle, give Sergio Perez a sniff of a podium and the Mexican will normally take it.
This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, ‘Checo’ tells host Tom Clarkson about where that desire and racing ability came from, taking us on a journey from his childhood in Guadalajara to his formative years in Europe, when he journeyed across the world on his own at 15 with little more than a dream to reach F1. In a revealing conversation, Perez also describes why his big move to McLaren turned sour, outlines his role in Force India’s dramatic rebirth as Racing Point, discusses his unique strengths as a driver, and reveals just why he has a steadily growing collection of watches…
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Czechoperas and you are listening to Beyond the Grid. |
| 0:09.6 | Hi guys, Tom Clarkson here welcoming you to another edition of Beyond the Grid |
| 0:14.5 | presented by Bose Quiet Comfort 352 Wireless Headphones. |
| 0:18.7 | Now, after the delights of the legendary Murray Walker last week, |
| 0:22.8 | we're going contemporary for this episode because my guest is the most successful Mexican driver in the history of Formula One. |
| 0:30.0 | He has eight podium finishes to his name and after the ways driven in the early races of 2019, |
| 0:35.5 | did you see his electric start in China, then more a short to follow. |
| 0:40.1 | I'm talking of course about Sergio Perez. |
| 0:43.0 | Czecho, as he's better known, has made many sacrifices to get to this point in his career. |
| 0:48.1 | Flying on his own to Germany, aged just 15 to start a single-seater career, |
| 0:52.4 | then persuading teams to give him a drive when he had no money, |
| 0:56.2 | and then being courted by Scuderia Ferrari and now battling with the big boys in Formula One. |
| 1:02.0 | His is a tale of emotional extremes that have been tremendous highs, |
| 1:06.3 | as well as freakish lows and he's still just 29 years old. |
| 1:11.1 | We sat down in the racing point hospitality area at last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix to talk it all through. |
| 1:17.5 | He was very candid. I hope you enjoy our conversation. |
| 1:26.1 | Or Czecho, welcome to Be On The Grid. Great to have you on the show, |
| 1:29.9 | and it's an honor to be speaking to the Mexican with the most podiums in Formula One history. |
| 1:35.8 | Thanks. Happy, happy to spend a good day with you. |
| 1:41.1 | Now, I feel there's a lot to get through, and I want to ask you first of all, |
| 1:46.8 | why Formula One? Because prior to your arrival, it had been a long time since there had been a |
| 1:52.4 | Mexican in F1. So, first of all, why F1 and not something like Indycar, which was a more tried and tested route? |
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