MEXICO CITY — As his son looked on, arms folded on the appropriate side of the rostrum on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Sergio Pérez savored the admiration of his home fans.
Although Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, third-placed Pérez caught the eye of the group after scoring his first podium on the Mexican Grand Prix. Although it was his fifth podium finish of the 2021 season, it was the primary time a Mexican rider had achieved such a result at home, making it a big result for each him and his country.
Three years later, things have modified dramatically.
Pérez stays the star in Mexico. That stays be Over the weekend, his face is plastered on billboards across the town as brands and sponsors attempt to capitalize on his fame. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner joked that Pérez is “endorsing every product from Uber Eats to toilet paper this weekend.”
But in the intervening time, after a poor run of form that saw him fall to eighth within the World Championship, one other podium finish for Pérez would carry much more weight.
“I know I had a terrible season, a very difficult one,” Pérez admitted on Thursday. “It started really well, but it was really, really difficult. If I achieve a strong result, it can definitely change my personal season massively.”
Pérez involves Mexico with no podium finish because the Chinese Grand Prix in April. A season that began so promisingly, with Red Bull appearing to be one step ahead of its rivals, quickly unraveled because it struggled with the automobile. A scarcity of balance, which has robbed drivers of confidence this 12 months, only began to weigh on Max Verstappen towards the tip of the European season. It hurt Pérez much earlier.
The resulting decline in form put Pérez's future within the highlight. Red Bull's lead in the beginning of the 12 months faded as McLaren, supported by two high-scoring drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, caught up with it and eventually overtook it at the highest of the constructors' championship. While Verstappen maintains a good lead at the highest of the Drivers' Championship, Red Bull is now in peril of slipping to P3, also behind Ferrari – just eight points behind. That could be the bottom constructors' rating since 2019.
Before Mexico, Pérez felt the necessity to reply to rumors that he might announce his plan to retire from Formula 1 entirely at his home race. During the three-week break to Singapore, he released a video clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street” during which Jordan Belfort, Leonardo di Caprio's character, confidently says words like “I'm not leaving” to his staff.
Sorry 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/rPIHpYDVGH
— Sergio Pérez (@SCecoPerez) September 29, 2024
“I just felt like every year for about two years now, it's been like this where someone creates this rumor and then everyone picks up on it,” Pérez explained in Austin last week when asked concerning the post. “All my fans, in fact I’m very aware that lots of persons are coming to support me on the Mexican Grand Prix and that they’re probably expecting something that is just not true.
“I felt the need to just say: Look, I think it's just not right to spread rumors like that without knowing the facts.”
The frequency of those rumors comes as Pérez's poor performance and his future are under scrutiny, despite being under contract for the following two seasons. His renewal was intended to present him stability at a time when his form was flagging and act as an additional arm around his shoulder – proof that he had the support of the team.
It didn't have the specified effect. Pérez has still not finished in the highest five because the deal was announced just before the Canadian Grand Prix. Last month he was fighting for the rostrum in Azerbaijan, but a late collision with Carlos Sainz ended his race.
Pérez during training on Friday in Mexico City. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
On Friday, Horner agreed with Pérez's assessment that his season had been “terrible,” saying the Mexican had “summed it up perfectly.”
“It was a bad year for Checo,” Horner said. “He started strong and obviously he has struggled for form since Imola. It was sporadic. We saw flashes of performance. (In) Azerbaijan he probably could have won this race almost a month ago.
“We know what he is capable of. We hope we can give him the setup and confidence in the car to get the performance we think he is capable of.”
Verstappen's increasing problems through the summer races suggested that Pérez was not solely chargeable for his lack of form. The upgrades introduced in Austin helped address a few of Verstappen's concerns, but Pérez – who qualified ninth and only finished seventh – didn't have the whole package. “We just didn’t have a good weekend,” he said in Mexico. “It wasn’t a good weekend where I built a lot of confidence.”
Red Bull has long been trying to present Pérez confidence again heading into 2025. “Checo is our driver,” Horner said. “He has a contract until 2025. He is competitive. He's hungry. He is not happy with where he is currently. That’s why we as a team are doing our best to support him.”
Horner was asked how Liam Lawson's performances at RB could impact the plans of each Red Bull teams, as he could potentially replace Pérez within the event of a move to Red Bull. Horner reiterated that Pérez “has a contract for next year, so he is currently our driver for 2025.”
“There is one place available at RB and they are all Red Bull racing drivers on loan,” said Horner. “We have the time to sit down with Laurent (Mekies) and Peter (Bayer) and examine all options.”
The fan adoration for Pérez in Mexico City knows no bounds. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
If there was one among the remaining five races where the energy of the event and the group could give Pérez an additional boost of energy, it's Mexico. The intensity of the race weekend is comparable to nothing else he experiences in Formula 1. He described it as “like three races at once.” The noise from the stands at his first outlap in the beginning of FP1 was greater than most drivers will hear all season of their honor, such is the joy of the over 100,000 Mexicans who crowded the circuit, of whom the Most of the noise within the Foro Sol section of the stadium burst into color.
The demands of racing at home make the week tiring. Still, it doesn't change how special the Grand Prix is for him. “I just want to enjoy it,” he said in Austin. “This is my ninth Grand Prix in Mexico, so I just want to make sure I enjoy every single part of it because it's a very important one.”
The only noise Pérez wants to listen to this weekend comes from the stands. The constant speculation and discussions about his future? It doesn't trouble him. “You just have to make sure you keep your head down and focus on the things you can control,” Pérez said. “The rest is something you can’t deal with.”
Ending the rostrum drought on home soil could be an ideal way for Pérez to clear up among the query marks over his future at Red Bull. It would also give him the possibility for one more priceless moment just like the one together with his son three years ago.
“This moment will forever remain in my memory, my son standing on the podium with me, watching me,” Pérez said. “I hope he remembers this forever. If not, at least I'll have the picture to show him when he's older!
“These moments, in my opinion, are the ones that really matter to me. And I hope I can do it again this weekend.”
I remember how Sergio Perez's son was in a position to see his father on the rostrum at his home Grand Prix 💚🇲🇽
(via rsanchezp/IG) pic.twitter.com/tsFzL1JMHu
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 12, 2022
image credit : www.nytimes.com