"If that guy is going out now, that crowd is going absolutely mental": When Pierre Gasly talked about Sergio Perez's F1 stardom

Pierre Gasly once spoke about Sergio Perez's popularity in Mexico during their last visit to the Latin American country. While describing his fellow F1 driver, Gasly stated that Perez was a "national hero" and had the capability to drive the crowd crazy if he went outside of the hotel.

Ahead of the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, Gasly and Perez were spotted inside a lift once, where they were accompanied by acquaintances and videographers. As one of the videographers asked Gasly about Perez, the former showered the Mexican with numerous flattering remarks.

The conversation started with Gasly asking Perez if he wanted to be in a music video,

"You need to go down? You wanna be in a music video?"

Then the videographer asked if the Red Bull star was a driver. Replying to this, the Alpine man said,

"He's like the national hero. Checo is the Mexican F1 driver. If that guy is going out now (out of the hotel), that crowd is going absolutely mental. He's the guy you wanna see here."

One can say that Gasly's statement regarding Perez is valid given the stardom the latter enjoys in Mexico. Reports say that he is one of the most loved sportspersons in the country and the primary reason why Mexico tunes in Formula 1 these days.

Furthermore, the Red Bull driver's father, Antonio Perez Garibay, is also an influential citizen, who has close ties to the country's political scenario. Notably, Perez is also sponsored by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.

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Sergio Perez once pointed out the drawback of being a Mexican

Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing (Source: Getty Images)

While Sergio Perez could be a national hero in Mexico, it, of course, comes with a downside. Not everything about being Mexican works out in Formula 1, something the Red Bull star pointed out last year. During one of his interviews in 2023, he mentioned how the spotlight shines on him more critically due to his nationality.

“If something like this happens at Red Bull (underperformance), you immediately have three hundred media channels telling you that you have to leave," Perez stated.

"This kind of thing happens often in Formula 1 and that’s how it works in a team environment. Plus, I have the feeling that being Mexican also has a lot of influence," he added.

Formula 1 moves to Mexico this weekend for the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. After an underwhelming performance in the United States, Red Bull would expect Checo to fire on all cylinders on his home turf. Perez has not been performing at his very best of late, and at this point, the Christian Horner-led team needs Checo to pick up points to extend their lead over Ferrari, and close in on McLaren.