Sergio Perez is under pressure in Formula 1 heading into his home race at the Mexico City Grand Prix after floundering with Red Bull.
The Mexican driver has consistently been a lot slower than his teammate, Max Verstappen, and slumped to seventh place last time out at the United States Grand Prix.
Perez hasn’t scored a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, despite having a frontrunning car over the year.
He has struggled to adapt to the RB20, which has been tricky to drive, but he has performed well in Mexico throughout his career.
Perez finished third twice in a row in 2021 and 2022, taking an emotional result the first time around by becoming the first Mexican to score a podium at home.
He is the only Mexican on the Formula 1 grid and one of the main attractions for the fans ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix as Perez searches for a good result.
But he won’t be the only Mexican driver competing at their home event in free practice one. And Perez explained in the FIA Thursday Press Conference that he is hoping his compatriot, Pato O’Ward, can develop and race in F1.
Sergio Perez hopes Pato O’Ward can ‘get an opportunity’ and compete in F1
O’Ward will compete in FP1 for McLaren as the British team fulfil one of their mandatory first practice sessions for a rookie.
The Mexican driver has driven in Formula 1 before, gathering experience in FP1 ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the past couple of years.
It will be a great experience for the 25-year-old to drive in front of his home fans after an excellent season in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren.
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O’Ward scored three victories over the year, including at the Milwaukee Mile which returned to the calendar, and he now has 26 career podiums.
He is fully focused on IndyCar, too, with O’Ward looking to lead the Arrow McLaren team forward in 2025 as he is the oldest of their three drivers.
But Perez would like to see O’Ward be given a chance to race in Formula 1, which would mean two Mexicans are on the grid and boosting F1’s popularity in the nation further.
The Red Bull driver said about O’Ward doing FP1 at the 2024 Mexico City GP: “I think it’s great for the fans. In the past, we had Esteban [Gutierrez] who was there also. We had two Mexican drivers at the time.
“And it’s really hard for a country to have one Formula 1 driver. So, to have two racing at the same time, it was just a unique moment.
“So, it’s great for the crowd. And I hope Pato can get an opportunity soon in a team to be a racing driver in Formula 1.”
Pato O’Ward is unlikely to get a seat in Formula 1 in the near future
O’Ward has a link to the McLaren team in Formula 1 and has already driven for them in practice sessions but a full-time seat is unlikely.
McLaren have two very competitive drivers in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who are pushing the British team towards their first Constructors’ title since 1998.
O’Ward isn’t in contention for a drive in Formula 1 despite performing well in IndyCar, becoming less chaotic on the track and delivering results.