Formula 1: 5 Driver Changes That Will Alter the Sport in 2013
4. Sergio Perez leaves Sauber
Peter Sauber has consistently managed to find young quick drivers that have moved on to have successful Formula One careers. Heinz-Harold Fretzen, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are the three best examples of drivers that started their career with Sauber and then joined teams at the sharp end of the grid. It is therefore not very surprising that 22-year-old Sergio Perez appears to be something very special indeed. Sergio Perez joined Sauber in 2011 with mixed opinions from both the press and Formula One fan-base. Yes, he may have been part of the much lauded Ferrari Young Driver Academy but he also came with a huge amount of sponsorship from Mexican telecommunications company Telmex. The overriding opinion was that the young Mexican may be fairly quick but will quickly fall into obscurity like many of the 'pay for your drive' racers often do. His original detractors could not be further from the truth... His first season may have been a mixed bag but he showed some impressive speed against team-mate Kamui Kobayashi. Sadly, Perez' debut season was interrupted by a horrifying crash at Monaco which caused him to miss two races. 2012 has been a different story; Perez has been a revelation compared with the usual winners and losers in Formula One. He has had genuine speed, good tactics and is able to manage his tyres extremely well: a combination which should have seen him score at least one victory so far. His impressive podiums at Malaysia, Canada and Italy have not only shown that he has genuine speed but have also shown the top teams that he is a valuable prospect for the future. It was originally thought that Perez would follow his Ferrari roots and join the team in 2013 but this speculation was quickly played down by both Perez himself and Ferrari Chairman Luca Di Montezemolo. On 28th September 2012 it was announced that Sergio Perez will be making the exciting move to Mclaren for the 2013 season where he replace Lewis Hamilton who is switching to Mercedes. It will certainly be interesting to see how young Perez progresses at Mclaren, especially against his vastly experienced team-mate, Jenson Button.
