Sergio Pérez, affectionately known as Checo, will begin dominating news headlines in the coming months with his move to Cadillac set for the start of 2026.
But the 36-year-old is already in the spotlight for his honesty surrounding the drama after the Mexican Grand Prix, which was emphatically won by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
While the post-race interview was taking place, Norris was audibly booed by crowd members to the disdain of the commentators reporting and the F1 community itself.
Reaction that Norris received wasn’t ‘nice’, says Pérez
Lando Norris leads the way in the championship with 390 points, while having won the most recent two races. | McLaren Racing
In an interview with Alan Baldwin of Reuters, F1’s Mexican star was candid about how his home country’s fans were towards Norris, who currently leads the 2025 Drivers’ World Championship following wins in both Mexico and Brazil.
“I don’t think [it’s] nice, obviously, to be booing the guy that won a race… We have to have respect for the guy that won the race, always… yeah, it’s how it is.”
Pérez on the post-race boos
Why the Mexican fanbase was so disparaging towards Norris is somewhat unknown. However, theories have been thrown around.
One rumor is that they are defensive of national hero Pérez, who has been an icon of the sport ever since his podium for Sauber at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix and his long wait for a race win, which came in 2020 thanks to his legendary drive at Sakhir.
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While Sergio Pêrez has established himself as an F1 icon with six wins to his name, his final season at Red Bull was his worst for the team. | John David Mercer-Imagn Images
Norris stated last season after the Grand Prix that Max Verstappen did not have ‘”a teammate who could challenge him in any way,” insinuating that Pérez was not delivering the performances expected of a second Red Bull driver with his level of experience.
A poll run by Mexican outlet Fast Mag questioned whether Norris is being gifted the championship, following McLaren’s controversial decision to force teammate Oscar Piastri to hand his position over to Norris following the Briton’s slow pit stop.
Fast Mag journalist Carlos Jalife asked Norris at the Mexico City press conference following the race if Norris could give back those points, to which the 26-year-old was blunt.
“If [the fans] want to think that, they certainly have the right to – they can think whatever they want.”
Norris on Monza’s drama
Regardless of the controversy, which is now all said and done – and could potentially not affect the points difference between Piastri and Norris, with Norris now 24 points ahead – Pérez re-emphasized that all F1 greats should be shown adequate levels of respect.
“It’s good to see the feelings of the fans, you know, in terms of how passionate they are. But I think it’s got to be done with respect.”
Pérez on showing respect to Norris
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