Red Bull Racing’s latest catch, Sergio Perez has proven to be a successful match for Max Verstappen. With a decade-long career behind him, there has been a lot of changes for Perez. Having been a part of four teams before joining Red Bull, there has been only one entity that has stayed constant throughout- Perez’s father.
From the time Perez sat behind the wheel at six, to his most recent achievement of making history in Mexico, Antonio Perez Garibay has been an unwavering pillar of support. Filled with positivity and a trademark excited smile, Garibay has played a crucial part in pushing Perez to his best form.
Read more: MEXICAN MANIA: Sergio Perez’s Father Steals the Show in Emotional Scenes at Red Bull F1
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The cheerful man who frequents Perez’s garage, and the excited father running around with the Mexican flag at the 2021 Mexican GP; who is this jolly personality accompanying Sergio Perez?
Antonio Perez Garibay- the ultimate father to Sergio Perez and crew
Antonio Perez Garibay and his wife Marilú Mendoza de Pérez have three children, of which Sergio Perez is the youngest. The eldest son, Antonio Pérez Mendoza, is also a racing driver and is followed by Checo’s elder sister, Paola. She too works in motorsports as the commercial director of her younger brother.
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Motorsports runs in this family’s veins. Perez narrates in great detail how his father would travel with him and his brother. Driving around the country with his sons, Antonio Perez instilled the love of racing in his sons. After a weekend of racing, he would drop them off at school on Monday, directly after their brief road trip.
Even today, as his son races in the big league, Antonio makes it wherever he can. And it’s not without packing lots of encouragement with him. Most recently, he cheered his son on at the Mexican GP. As Checo stood on the podium as the only Mexican driver to have achieved that feat, no one was prouder than Antonio Perez.
What does the senior Perez do?
Antonio Perez Garibay is a well-known name outside the world of motorsports. Antonio has been a part of Mexican politics for decades. This finds its roots in the childhood troubles- situations that make him want to contribute to the growth of Mexico.
Antonio had dreams he couldn’t fulfill in his childhood, but through hard work, fulfilled them. Thus, he hopes to promote the lessons he learned along the way to the people of Mexico.
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However, before politics, he was a racing driver. Although, after his third child, Sergio Perez, he gave up his time behind the wheel. Yet, the world of motorsport called to him, as he represented Mexican drivers. Antonio managed Tomas Lopez and legendary IndyCar driver Adrian Fernandez.
This leads the senior Perez to encourage his two children to the world of motorsport. Mendoza competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series and drove the No.1 Toyota for Jimmy Morales; he is also the 2008 NASCAR Corona Series Champion.
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As Sergio Perez continues to make his father proud, we hope to see more of the jovial man in the races to come!
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