Red Bull’s Sergio Perez claims that sometimes he is criticised more than the other drivers just because he is a Latin driver.
Sergio Perez won his 4th Formula 1 race last time out at the Singapore Grand Prix and stands P3 in the championship but he feels he gets criticised more often than appreciated for his driving.
Perez feels that his Latin background is what influences the judgement of critics and corners him in the spotlight. The Red Bull driver is the 6th Mexican to race in F1 and is the most successful one so far.
The 32-year-old said that other drivers also face similar issues and that is also talked about in the media. But when it comes to him, he feels that he is hit a bit too harder with the spotlight as compared to others. He revealed that he has felt this way throughout his career.
The Mexican driver, however, feels that this kind of sparring also provides motivation.
Despite always being left to play second fiddle to Max Verstappen, the Mexican has at times shown that he has what it to takes to be the leader in a team. He showed his talents with the wheel at the Imola GP in 2021 as he played the Minister of Defense and helped Verstappen claim the win.
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Sergio Perez is not taken seriously
Perez feels that he is not taken seriously around the paddock but he has enjoyed the journey of being able to prove the doubters wrong.
The Red Bull driver said, “Sometimes people say, Well, he’s just a Mexican, he’s lazy, his culture and so on. And it’s like, just because you are Mexican, you are not able to compete with the best people in the world?”
He revealed that on various occasions in his career he has felt that he is not received the deserved appreciation. Perez started his journey in F1 with Sauber in the 2011 season.
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How the Mexican wishes to inspire the young generation?
Perez has had a 12 years long illustrious career in the motorsport and he feels that he has inspired the young generation wanting to make it to the top of the motorsport.
He explained that it would be amazing to show the young ones that a person can hail from Mexico and still make it to the top.
Speaking about his journey he said that, to be able to race with the best drivers one has to come to Europe at a very young age. Only Europe offers the best place to begin the journey.
He hopes that his journey encourages more Mexicans to join the sport.
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