Checo Pérez will no longer be in F1, which Mexican drivers to follow in 2025?
It is clear that for Mexican motorsports it is a hard blow to be left without an F1 driver, but there are others, in other categories, that must be kept on the radar.
Czech Perezuntil the publication of this work, does not have a seat for the Formula 1 or any other category of motorsport. It is a big change in the annals of Mexican motorsport since 2011, when the man from Guadalajara debuted in the F1 and in which it was without interruption until 2025.
There were 14 seasons in the top category for Czech Perezin which he achieved six victories, 39 podiums in total, 1,638 points, one runner-up in 282 races. Numbers that will be very difficult to overcome in the coming years for Mexican pilots; just get to the F1 It is very complicated, staying for more than five seasons is even more difficult and achieving what Checo did, a career above average, only the champions and runners-up have such a legacy.
So, what will happen to Mexican motorsports? Which exponents remain on the world stages in 2025? Who to follow?
We’ve listed three we think you should have on your radar. Two in American serials and a young promise whose destiny could be Formula 1 if you have the talent, discipline, support and luck. Let’s go with them:
Duck O’Ward | 25 years | IndyCar
The driver from Monterrey will be in his sixth season (full time) in the highest single-seater category on the American continent. In his previous five years, Pato had seven wins, five poles, 26 podiums, 38 top fives (in IndyCar or NASCAR, top 5s are important). His best position in the championship was third in 2021.
Last year he achieved three victories – tied with Scott McLaughlin and Will Power for the most – and finished second in the Indy 500 after losing the race on the last lap against Josef Newgarden. He placed fifth in the championship with Arrow McLaren, an organization in which he has competed since 2020.
Why follow it? He is one of the best in the series and now without Checo, the best Mexican exponent in motorsports. Watching Pato run is always fun, because he is a sprinter (very fast in one lap), he is also tough in the ‘hand-to-hand’ and he also has race pace; In short, a very complete pilot.
What to expect by 2025? Let him compete again for the Indy 500. Since 2020, these have been his results in the famous competition: sixth, fourth, second, 24 and second – and in the 2023 edition, he was 24th due to a crash when he was fighting for the lead against Marcus Ericsson and Newgarden with eight laps to go. So it is normal that we expect the Mexican as one of the favorites in the betting houses to win the famous race on May 25.
We can also expect O’Ward to be a championship contender. It has been in previous years, but McLaren is an organization that cannot keep up with Ganassi and Penske, which are the two major structures of the series. In addition to some mistakes by the Mexican driver that have deprived him of some important points. But he will certainly be an entertainer.
What will be your main obstacle? In addition to the tough competition in the series, McLaren has not had the rest to endure the year against organizations that can put better cars on the track throughout the campaign. The last time IndyCar was won by a driver outside of Ganassi or Penske was Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012 with Andretti Autosport.
Daniel Suarez | 32 years | NASCAR CUP
Another royal pilot. Dani Suárez will have his ninth season in the top category of Stock Cars in the United States, his fifth with the Trackhouse Racing organization, a team that has grown alongside the Mexican driver.
His best campaign was in 2022 when he placed tenth in the championship; last year 12th. They don’t seem like great results, but we must remember that no Mexican had ever reached this series and NASCAR is characterized by its high competitiveness. It is difficult to win a race among 40 cars, which are what normally qualify for a race.
Why follow it? Daniel Suárez is a fighter. Since he arrived at the CUP after winning the Xfinity series – the only non-American driver to be champion in a national NASCAR category (Cup, With Trackhouse it has achieved stability and we will follow closely if it achieves its best year in 2025.
What can we expect? More victories for the Monterrey native. He is one of the strong drivers on permanent tracks and this year NASCAR Cup will have his first international race and it will be in Mexico, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where we hope that Dani will be a contender for victory.
With the victory or a couple of victories that we believe are realistic for Suárez, the one from Monterrey would qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs again. That he fights in the postseason for the championship would be a pleasant surprise.
What is your main obstacle? Your classification. The Mexican driver is not very good in the qualifying sessions, which conditions his Sundays too much to having to overcome and in NASCAR, riding in the peloton is very complicated because you are in the risk zone with the multiple accidents that occur during the race. career.
Noel León | 20 years | F3
The young promise of Mexican motorsport. The man from Monterrey (yes, at the moment Nuevo León is the cradle of Mexican drivers) will compete in F3 with the Prema team, one of the most powerful organizations in the series that is part of the ladder to Formula 1.
Prema is the current team champion in the category; Noel placed 10th in the series, but racing in his debut year with the modest Van Amersfoort Racing. And yet he made four podiums in the campaign, results that caught the attention of Prema.
Why follow it? By illusion. Along with Pato O’Ward, León is the Mexican closest to F1 other than Sergio Pérez. It is in one of the training categories; Their season is spent on F1 circuits and coincides with the top category, so the team directors have the young people from F2 and F3 very close. And because it will be interesting what he can do with an organization closer to the podiums and championships.
What can we expect? Podiums and improve your position in the championship table. If we get more ambitious, Noel would have to be fighting for the championship so that in 2026 he makes the jump to F2 and the hope grows.
What is your main obstacle? The same one that all these kids have: the dream crusher that is the training categories. Not giving results quickly can leave these young people out very quickly and getting the opportunity again is very complicated. We trust that Noel León will have the courage to develop in F3.
