The Streak of Sergio Perez in Formula One

Last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, held on July 24th, proved to be a challenging moment for Mexican driver Sergio Perez. After scoring points in five consecutive races, including two podium finishes, Checo finished 17th in Austria and 6th in Great Britain.

In Hungary, he finished in 11th place, just behind his then Force India teammate, German driver Nico Hulkenberg, and failed to score any points.

Little did Perez know that the next race in Germany would start a streak that no other Formula One driver currently has: 14 consecutive Grand Prix finishes in the Top 10.

Since Hungary, Checo has earned points in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Abu Dhabi, Australia, China, Bahrain, and Russia. If he repeats this feat in Spain, it will be his 15th consecutive race with points.

Slowly but surely, Perez is climbing up the list of consecutive Top 10 finishes. He currently sits in 16th place, but if he scores points in Barcelona this Sunday, he will move up to 13th, alongside Argentina's Carlos Reutemann, Australia's Daniel Ricciardo, and Spain's Fernando Alonso.

Although he is still far from the record set by Finland's Kimi Raikkonen in Lotus between 2012 and 2013, with 27 consecutive races in the points, Checo is gradually closing the gap. If he scores in Catalonia and then in Monaco, he will enter the historical Top 10.

Perez's streak has transcended seasons. He ended 2016 with points in the last three races in Europe, the last three races in Asia, the last three races in the Americas, and in the United Arab Emirates, and waited a few months until 2017 to score points in four more races.

The switch of cars and having a new teammate, French driver Esteban Ocon, instead of Hulkenberg, seemed to have no effect on Perez. Not even the significant rule changes, which have put Ferrari ahead of the dominant Mercedes, have affected him.

The streak of 14 consecutive points finishes also surpasses what happens in Formula One. None of the other drivers on the grid have had a similar run. Checo has seen 18 other drivers score points during this period, including retired drivers Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, as well as Felipe Nasr, who is currently without a seat in the sport.

Throughout these 14 Grand Prix with Perez in the points, there have been five different winners: Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas with Mercedes, Ricciardo with Red Bull, and Sebastian Vettel with Ferrari.

As an example of consistency, during Perez's streak, three drivers have scored points with two different teams: Bottas, who moved from Williams to Mercedes this year, Kevin Magnussen, who joined Haas after being at Renault, and Hulkenberg, who left Force India for Renault.

During the streak, Sergio has finished in 8th place four times, 7th place three times, and 6th and 10th place twice, as well as 4th, 5th, and 9th in some races. The only thing missing for the former McLaren driver to crown this moment is a podium finish.

For now, he is a guarantee of points for his team, and his performances have led to the belief that he will finish in the Top 10, which is no easy feat, as neither Hamilton, Vettel, nor Ricciardo have achieved it in this period of time due to retirements or setbacks.

Tomorrow in Spain, Checo will go for his 15th Grand Prix with points and, in the process, aim to equal the 13th best streak in history.