Sergio Perez has been having a horrific run since the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP in May, the last time he finished in the top five this season. However, ahead of his home race in Mexico this weekend, the 34-year-old has promised to try everything in his power to leave his fans with a “smile.”
Perez made these remarks while discussing his struggles at the United States GP last weekend, where he finished in seventh. He stated that although he felt more comfortable with the RB20 in Austin, he believed “there’s still a lot” he needed to understand before his Mexico City. Perez said,
“We need to iron out those issues to be competitive on a very different track in Mexico City. I will do everything I can to make my country smile come Sunday evening“.
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The Mexico City GP will indeed be a crucial race weekend for Perez. Earlier this year, reports emerged that Red Bull was considering sacking the 34-year-old after his home race.
As per those reports, Red Bull’s original plan was to part ways with Perez earlier in the season but on Liberty Media’s insistence, they decided to stick with him.
Liberty Media requested Red Bull to retain Perez for commercial reasons
F1-Insider issued a report earlier this year which stated that it was Liberty Media that requested Red Bull to retain Perez at least until the Mexico City GP took place on October 27. The F1 owners were worried that the sport would lose out on a huge amount of revenue if the Mexican driver would no longer be on the grid for his home race.
“Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media asked Red Bull to reconsider the Perez dismissal. They feared a huge drop in revenue at the Mexican GP on October 27 without national hero Perez,” the report read.
Since Perez is such a fan favorite, supporters will be hoping for a strong return to form this weekend. The last thing they want is to see a repeat of last season when he crashed out in the first corner after a collision with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc while battling for the lead.
