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Red Bull’s Sergio Perez says his mistakes are judged more harshly than George Russell’s, with media calling for him to be “replaced”, and he believes the fact that he is a Mexican “has a lot of influence” in that.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the F1 media calling for Sergio Perez to be replaced at Red Bull, because he has not been performing as well as his dominant team-mate Max Verstappen.
During an event at the Ford Mexico campus, Perez said he is being judged more harshly than other drivers, and gave an example of what happened after George Russell’s shock crash on the last lap of the Singapore Grand Prix.
“He crashed on the last lap fighting for second place, but nobody talked about it,” Perez said.
“When it happens at Red Bull, there are immediately three hundred media saying you have to be replaced.”
He added he believes his nationality influences how he’s perceived by the media.
“This kind of thing happens a lot in F1 and that’s how it works in a team environment, but I think it also has a lot of influence that I am Mexican.
Perhaps Perez’s view on this issue might have also be influenced by Red Bull’s advisor Dr Helmut Marko’s scandalous comments referencing his ethnicity.
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“We know that he has problems in qualifying, he has fluctuations in form,” the Austrian said.
“He is South American [this was a mistake by Marko, as Mexico is situated in North America] and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max [Verstappen] is or as Sebastian [Vettel],” he concluded.
Marko later apologized for his remarks, but he also received a formal warning from the FIA.
At the Ford event, Perez said he is very proud of his nationality.
“I am very lucky to be Mexican and to have all this support that very few drivers have had in the history of the sport.
“I am proud to represent my country all over the world,” he concluded.
