For two consecutive seasons, the intense rivalry between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon at what is now known as Racing Point captivated Formula 1 enthusiasts. Their on-track battles were often thrilling, sometimes controversial, and always fiercely competitive. Ocon, steadily improving, managed to challenge Perez’s one-lap pace by his second year, though Perez’s seasoned experience ensured he consistently outscored his young teammate. This compelling dynamic, however, frequently boiled over, leading to several destructive collisions that cost the team valuable points and raised questions about their ability to coexist.
Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free
Heading into the 2019 season, Racing Point underwent a significant transformation, not just in ownership but also in its driver lineup. Esteban Ocon was unexpectedly shown the door, and in his place arrived Lance Stroll. This change immediately altered the internal team dynamic. The prospect of further destructive intra-team collisions, a hallmark of the Perez-Ocon era, significantly diminished. This was largely due to Stroll’s performance profile, which seldom placed him close enough to Perez on track for such incidents to become a genuine possibility. The 2019 season would therefore be less about fiery clashes and more about a direct comparison of individual performance and development trajectories within the team.
A New Chapter for Racing Point: The Stroll-Perez Pairing
The acquisition of the Force India team by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll ushered in a new era for the Silverstone-based outfit, rebranded as Racing Point. With substantial investment and ambitious plans, the team aimed to climb the Constructors’ Championship standings. The driver lineup for 2019, featuring the experienced Sergio Perez and the young Lance Stroll, son of the new owner, was central to these aspirations. Perez, known for his race craft and consistency, was expected to be the team’s spearhead, while Stroll was seen as a developing talent with considerable financial backing.
This pairing presented a different challenge compared to the previous two seasons. While Ocon had posed a direct and aggressive threat to Perez’s position within the team, Stroll’s arrival brought a different kind of scrutiny. The focus shifted from managing inter-driver aggression to optimizing individual performance and leveraging the strengths of each driver to maximize the team’s potential. The question for 2019 was not whether Perez and Stroll would collide, but rather how their distinct driving styles and performance characteristics would combine to push Racing Point forward.
The Battle for One-Lap Pace: Qualifying Challenges
One of the most defining aspects of Lance Stroll’s 2019 season was his consistent struggle with one-lap pace, particularly in qualifying. This had been a recurring weakness throughout his Formula 1 career, and it remained glaringly evident at Racing Point. Throughout the entire season, Stroll managed to out-qualify his seasoned teammate, Sergio Perez, on only two occasions. Even these instances carried caveats, further highlighting Perez’s superior speed over a single lap. One such instance was at the Circuit of the Americas, where Perez faced a grid penalty and consequently did not set a truly representative qualifying time, meaning Stroll’s ‘victory’ was not a direct comparison of peak performance.
The statistical reality of Stroll’s qualifying struggles was stark. He was eliminated in the Q1 session a remarkable 14 times over the course of the season. This was the highest number for any driver not competing with the struggling Williams team, underscoring the depth of his challenge in extracting ultimate pace from the RP19 on a Saturday. For a team with ambitions to climb the midfield, consistent Q1 exits from one driver placed immense pressure on the other to deliver, hindering their overall strategic options for race day. Sergio Perez, in contrast, consistently demonstrated his ability to progress through qualifying, setting a strong benchmark and often extracting the maximum potential from the car in a competitive midfield.
Mastering the Start: Early Race Gains
While qualifying often proved to be a hurdle for Lance Stroll, his race starts were consistently one of his most impressive attributes. Similar to his previous two seasons in Formula 1, Stroll displayed a remarkable ability to make up significant ground during the opening lap of races. Over the entire 2019 season, he gained a staggering total of 40 positions on Lap 1. This exceptional performance often placed him in a more competitive position than his qualifying result would suggest, allowing him to contend for points even from deep within the grid.
It is difficult to dissociate this strong starting ability from two key factors: Stroll’s inherent aggression and willingness to seize opportunities in crowded opening laps, and the formidable strength of the Mercedes power unit that propelled the Racing Point car. The Mercedes engine provided a powerful advantage off the line and down the straights, giving Stroll the grunt needed to charge through the field. While Stroll led this particular statistic, Sergio Perez was not far behind, demonstrating Racing Point’s overall prowess in race starts by picking up an impressive total of 30 positions on the first lap over the season. This collective strength in the initial phase of races was a significant asset for the team, allowing both drivers to mitigate poor qualifying performances or capitalize on strong ones.
Race Performance and Strategic Brilliance
When it came to race performance, Sergio Perez consistently proved why he is considered one of Formula 1’s most reliable and consistent midfield performers. Throughout the 2019 season, Perez repeatedly delivered the coveted ‘best of the rest’ finishes, cementing his position as the leader of the midfield pack on multiple occasions. He achieved this feat notably in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi, showcasing his superb race craft, tire management, and strategic acumen. These results were crucial for Racing Point, as they frequently saw Perez bringing home significant points that his teammate was unable to replicate anywhere near as often.
Lance Stroll, despite his overall struggles for consistency, did record the team’s highest finish of the season at the German Grand Prix. This memorable performance saw him cross the finish line in fourth place, a result that came courtesy of a late-race strategic gamble to switch to slick tires on a rapidly drying track. While it was undoubtedly a fortuitous move, heavily influenced by the chaotic conditions and well-timed pit call, Stroll was crucially still on track and in a position to take advantage of the opportunity when it arose. This stood in stark contrast to Perez, who had regrettably crashed out earlier in the very same race, highlighting the capricious nature of F1. Nonetheless, this single result accounted for more than half of Stroll’s entire points tally for the season, a stark illustration of how far short his overall contribution fell compared to his teammate’s consistent scoring.
The Second Half of the Season: A Widening Gap
The disparity between the two drivers became particularly pronounced following the traditional summer break. The second half of the 2019 season saw a significant divergence in their performances and points accumulation. While Sergio Perez continued his strong form, demonstrating remarkable consistency and an ability to extract the maximum from the Racing Point package, Lance Stroll’s season unfortunately tailed off dramatically. In the races after the summer break, Stroll managed to score a meager three points in total, a figure that starkly highlighted his struggles for pace and consistency during this critical phase of the championship.
In sharp contrast, Sergio Perez accumulated an impressive 33 points during the same period. This outstanding performance propelled him up the final points standings, placing him firmly among the Renault drivers and showcasing his ability to consistently challenge for strong points finishes. Stroll, meanwhile, found himself languishing at the very bottom of the competitive midfield, often unable to break into the top ten or challenge for meaningful positions. This widening gap in the latter half of the season underscored Perez’s superior race pace, strategic awareness, and overall consistency, establishing him as the unquestionable lead driver for Racing Point and raising questions about Stroll’s longer-term development trajectory within the team.
Driver Contracts and Future Implications
Sergio Perez’s consistently strong performances throughout 2019 and previous seasons were duly rewarded by Racing Point. He secured a new three-year contract, a significant commitment that saw him become one of the few drivers on the grid with a confirmed seat extending beyond the 2020 season. This long-term deal reflected the team’s confidence in his abilities, his experience, and his proven track record of delivering points. Perez’s stability was seen as a cornerstone for Racing Point’s future ambitions, providing a consistent benchmark and a reliable points scorer.
Lance Stroll’s position within the team, despite his less consistent performances, remained largely unchallenged. His place at Racing Point is, for all intents and purposes, secure as long as he retains the backing and financial support of his father, Lawrence Stroll, who is the team owner. However, as Lawrence Stroll continues to invest heavily in building and transforming Racing Point into a formidable contender – eventually evolving into Aston Martin F1 – there may come a critical juncture. At some point, the pursuit of ultimate performance and championship aspirations could necessitate a re-evaluation of the driver lineup. The need for a complete driver package, consistently delivering at the highest level, might eventually overshadow personal connections, leading to immense pressure for an upgrade in its driver lineup to align with the team’s burgeoning ambitions.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
Sergio Perez vs Lance Stroll: Key Stats
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
Sergio Perez vs Lance Stroll: Who finished ahead at each round
| AUS | BAH | CHI | AZE | SPA | MON | CAN | FRA | AUS | GRE | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | RUS | JAP | MEX | UNI | BRA | ABU | ||
| Sergio Perez | Q | |||||||||||||||||||||
| R | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lance Stroll | Q | |||||||||||||||||||||
| R |
Sergio Perez vs Lance Stroll: Qualifying gap
Times based on the last qualifying round at each race weekend in which both drivers set a time. Negative indicates Sergio Perez was faster, positive means Lance Stroll was faster
Go ad-free for just £1 per month>> Find out more and sign up
2019 F1 season review
- ‘I should have done a better job. There’s things that I know I can do better’
- ‘I am definitely not a rookie anymore – but I’m still getting better’
- ‘I didn’t believe in myself much. But after Australia and Bahrain and I gained a lot of confidence’
- ‘It was my best season for sure so far in terms of pure results and speed’
- ‘There’s been plenty of good performances – but there’s also other years I’ve performed at my best’
Browse all 2019 F1 season review articles