Perez misses home fan forum with illness but expects to drive in Mexico City practice
Sergio Perez has pulled out of the fan forum at his home race in Mexico City because he is unwell. Cadillac says his weekend is not affected and he is due to drive both practice sessions on Friday. He is the third driver to report illness this week.
A home-race setback
It is the weekend Sergio Perez has had circled since Cadillac confirmed his new contract two days ago, and it did not start as planned. On Friday morning the team announced that the Mexican would not attend the fan forum at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where supporters had gathered to meet him before first practice.
Cadillac said Perez was unable to attend "due to illness" and that both he and the team apologised to the fans who had come to see him. According to Crash.net, he was given extra time to rest and recover that morning. RacingNews365 adds that the team preferred to give him that time rather than risk his condition getting worse before the track sessions.
What the team says about the weekend
The statement is clear on the sporting side: Perez's participation in the rest of the weekend, including the first and second practice sessions, is not affected. Valtteri Bottas, who missed Thursday's media duties because he was ill himself, will handle all media commitments and take part in the second session as planned.
No details of the illness have been given, and none are needed here: the only facts that matter for the weekend are the ones the team has confirmed.
Third driver this week
Perez is the third driver to be hit by illness in Mexico City. Kimi Antonelli and Bottas both skipped Thursday's media day, and both were still expected to run in practice. Max Verstappen linked the cases to the heavy 2026 calendar, according to Crash.net, saying that on triple-headers drivers cannot go home between races and that he does not enjoy that.
By the numbers
This weekend is also a milestone: Perez is due to make his 300th Grand Prix start. In our race data, he has been classified in 13 of the 18 races so far this season without scoring a point; his best finish is 14th. The Mexico City Grand Prix is round 19 of the season, and the race starts on Sunday at 20:00 UTC.
Whether Perez is fit enough to complete a full Friday programme will be clear after the first two practice sessions.
