Resurgent Sergio Pérez hits brakes on the row over nationality comments
Resurgent Sergio Pérez hits brakes on the row over nationality comments: After winning the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, Sergio Pérez remarked that the bad press around him was “probably because I’m Mexican.” Pérez later clarified that he was speaking emotionally.
To the contrary, he told the Guardian in an exclusive interview on Thursday that his detractors at Red Bull Racing don’t understand the challenges of working with reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Some media were very critical of Pérez because he had only one podium finish in the previous five F1 races before Singapore. After his victory, he wondered if any of the opposition he faced was rooted in racism.
Statements
Pérez stated Thursday that his post-race comments in Singapore were “a bit of emotion.” I just feel like sometimes people don’t really grasp the type of hardship I’m facing, you know, in terms of how terrible the position I’m in is.
I mean, people forget that I was battling for the championship in the beginning of the year in the first few races, but I think that’s just part of Formula One. It’s just that if I get two terrible races in there, all these sorts of analyses start to come into place where.
Pérez didn’t specifically call out any media outlets in which he found fault with their coverage of his fourth career triumph and second this season.
While Red Bull left Singapore with a massive 137-point lead in the constructors’ championship, Pérez’s Mexican fanbase, led by F1 journalist Luis Manuel Lopez, paid special attention to a series of articles and videos from digital outlet The Race claiming the driver was becoming an increasing problem for Red Bull.
The publication also raised the possibility that Red Bull might be better off reuniting Verstappen and Alex Albon of Williams Racing, who lost his spot to Pérez in 2021 due to a lack of performance. Albon has dropped to 19th place in the drivers’ standings.
Declarations
The criticism against Pérez, according to one columnist in this week’s issue of The Race, is more about his performance than his ethnicity.
Whatever the case may be, Pérez’s victory in Singapore has allowed him to release some of the strain that had been building up.
The 32-year-old driver had a strong start to the season, finishing on the podium six times in the first 13 races contested before Formula One’s summer break. Aside from his win in Monaco in late May, he finished in second place five other times.
Red Bull has recently altered the RB18 that Pérez and Verstappen are driving this season, shifting the vehicle’s weight distribution to put more of a strain on the front wheels.
Because of his preference for that set-up, Verstappen had won the previous five races leading up to Singapore, giving the Dutchman a commanding 104-point lead in the drivers’ championship with just five races remaining.
Pérez, on the other hand, isn’t a fan of the new configuration of his automobile. Even his one podium performance during that time, in August at the Belgian Grand Prix, was tinged with sadness because Verstappen passed him on the way to the win.
On the other hand, Pérez qualified second and Verstappen ninth on Sunday’s wet track that is difficult to pass on even in dry circumstances. The Ferrari driver made a few late charges, but he beat pole sitter Charles Leclerc to the first curve, and he managed to survive half a dozen safety car periods on route to his second win in 10 races.
On Thursday, Pérez stated that the congratulatory message he delivered over the team radio soon after crossing the finish line in Singapore was completely impromptu and designed to compliment his engineers, particularly Hugh Bird, who had assisted him to victory.
Remarks
After receiving praise from team principal Christian Horner, Pérez proclaimed on the radio Sunday, “This is how we do it, man.” The Mexican way is to keep quiet and work hard.
However, many Mexican supporters of Pérez were curious as to how Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko would interact with the race car driver.
Marko had joked earlier in the season that Pérez’s delayed reaction to a late restart at the French Grand Prix may have been due to him having consumed tequila before the race. A few days later, Marko explained Pérez’s recent lack of podium finishes as the “ups and downs” that are “typical… of a South American” driver attempting to make it in F1.
To be clear, Mexico is located in North America. Notable drivers who were left out of Marko’s discussion include the five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina and the three-time champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil.
Marko congratulated Pérez on his Singapore victory and told the press that Pérez had driven well and was a threat to overtake Leclerc for the second position in the drivers’ championship. Just two points separated Pérez and the Ferrari driver after Singapore.
Pérez further disclosed that Marko had arranged for him to take a private plane from Singapore to Japan, the site of Sunday’s race at the Suzuka International circuit.
Pérez claims that, despite the commotion in some media outlets, the gesture more accurately shows his genuine standing in the eyes of Marko and Red Bull.
Pérez claimed, “Our friendship has been excellent from the very beginning.” As one member of the group put it, “We do have… a high level of regard for each other.”
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