Perez's Potential Exit Casts Shadow Over Mexican F1 Grand Prix
Oct.30 - Mexican GP promoter Federico Gonzalez admits the race may suffer a blow once Sergio Perez is no longer on the grid.
Currently, 33-year-old Guadalajara-born Perez drives for F1's top team Red Bull - who is supported so ardently by the crowd that a violent fight actually broke out in the grandstands on Sunday between a fan wearing Sergio's special Mexican GP team shirt and a Ferrari-clad fan.
Max Verstappen was supported by two bodyguards throughout the weekend, and race boss Gonzalaz admits the 'Racespect' campaign was all about calming the partisan Mexican fans.
"Max is Checo's partner, things can go a little out of bounds, so we wanted to keep the battle on the track. That's where the idea of this campaign came from.
"New people are coming to the F1 circuits, perhaps from other sports, and we have to explain to them that this (F1) is different."
Ultimately, it was Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who was booed by the Mexican fans following his lap 1 crash that ended Perez's race.
"A lot of booing. A lot of booing," the rattled Monegasque told the crowd after the chequered flag. "Guys. Honestly, I had nowhere to go."
Mexican GP boss Gonzalez said his compatriots are simply "passionate".
"Mexicans are passionate about their colours, about love, about food, about many things. But booing is not appropriate and we don't want to see it," he is quoted by AS newspaper.
But with Perez's 2024 Red Bull contract still the subject of speculation and uncertainty, Gonzalez admits that the Mexican GP will one day have to stand on its own two feet.
He said tickets for this weekend's race sold out a year ago "within a few hours of going on sale".
"It was 30 percent people from Mexico City, 30 percent the rest of the country, 30 percent international," said the race boss. "And the international is usually the United States, Canada, Central America and South America."
Losing Perez could therefore be a huge blow to the event.
"Our goal is to work on the experience," said Gonzalez. "There are many supporters of Checo but also followers of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, other teams."
He said losing Perez "may decrease our sales, but we know that will happen one day".
"We want Checo to be around for many years, but we know that one day it won't be like that."
In preparation, he said he seeks to learn from what nearby grand prix organisers are up to.
"I went to Miami, I went to Austin, and I will go to Las Vegas," said Gonzalez. "They are competition, so I have to see what they are doing because I don't want to be left behind.
"From there we can introduce changes. For example, Miami nailed it this year in their second edition. It is now a strong and competitive weekend, but I think we are still ahead of them in that our price is much more competitive."
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This is ridiculous. Checho made a huge mistake on turn 1. His all-or-nothing approach got him nowhere. The averages of pulling that off where low by any measure. Patience would have served him better but he chose not to. He had a whole race ahead of him. This man’s attitude about having the Mexican GP could possibly be in jeopardy is a little short sighted, IMO. GPs should not be based on a single driver but that will be up to the organizers. Bodyguards shouldn’t be necessary either but it appears to be apart of the GP scene regarding this particular GP.
If the pressure is too great for Perez, that is something he will have to deal with. He is a grown man. It shouldn’t be up to Max or the team to hold his hand.
The fans were an embarrassment to themselves. Booing LeClerc for SPs bad judgement was cringe worthy and having a serious fight over a race was worse. It appears that the Mexico GP is turning into a blood sport. I know I’ll be criticized for my comments, I don’t care.
Let me be the first in line. LOLOL Patience in the Mexican GP? Nope, doesn't work. Booing is part of the Latin culture, and they are very democratic about it...anybody who betters them. Hell, there was a fistfight in the stands between a RB shirt & a red shirt. Get over it. Checo's move? Saw a hole & went for it. Close only counts in horseshoes...but close. And yes, you do that s**t at 150 mph. It's called racing for a reason.
Oh to know what Horny said to him on the pit wall, he sounded a little shook up when being interviewed there was definately a couple of throats gulps, showing up his panic/fear/acceptance/failure who knows, yeah he went for it and hindsights a wonderful creature, but i agree with Perez when he says hes got his speed back , 3/10s -- 5/10s off Max , so it bides reasonably well for the last few races, because the Merc speed/improvement, Im not buying it, tyres played a big role in this race Imo
I agree, Shrop". The only constant this season is that the VER/RB combo is absolutely, to use a Croftyism, brilliant. I hope that Checo's dumpster dive doesn't gut him and allow the knight to claim 2d place. Yeah, I know, first loser, but this year it's like a top step performance.
Don’t forget the analogy of “hand grenades” as well, Shrop, SP blew himself up. Booing is still low-brow. Great to support “your guy” but get real. They should be booing Perez. After the first 5 or so races, Perez couldn’t keep up. Max is not responsible for holding SP’s hands. Perez is not a rookie. Let’s not forget, SP list his seat before coming to RB. He knew what was expected and the culture at RB.
Good points, Susan. You handle criticism well. My only comment is that Checo has handled the RB 'culture' better than any previous #2. He still has a few points in hand for 2d in the WDC. If he's not gutted by his Mexico dumpster dive, the season will be a success. Finishing second to VER is not an embarrassment. Losing to the knight will be a career killer.