Perez praises effort to expand F1 outside Europe

Sergio Perez has backed Formula 1’s push to explore new racing venues and expand the calendar outside Europe.

In recent years, F1 has added several new events to the schedule, including two in the United States, with Miami and Las Vegas joining Austin as a permanent location.

Additionally, F1 has boosted its presence in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia and Qatar signing long-term contracts to join the Bahrain and Abu Dhabi events in the Gulf region.

With F1 having been primarily located throughout Europe in the past, just 42 per cent of the races staged this year will take place in the region.

It still marks the majority compared to other locations, with North and South America consisting of 25 per cent, while the Gulf and Asia/Australia regions make up 17 per cent each.

“I think it's always nice to go to places where the sport is the priority for the people,” Perez told media including RacingNews365.

“We've seen over the years that in this area it keeps growing and we have to remember that at the end of the day Formula 1 is a worldwide sport that we might race in Saudi but a lot of people around the world are watching us.

“So I think it's good that it's expanding from Europe.”

Improving workforce diversity

F1 has pledged to improve its diversity and inclusion through measures such as launching programmes to encourage young people from all backgrounds to pursue a future in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.

Mercedes too has taken a lead in launching its own programmes, including the Accelerate 25 project that aims to exceed 25 per cent of all new starters at the company coming from under-represented groups until the end of 2025.

Perez asserted that he is pleased to see more non-European personnel working in the sport.

“I feel like in the past, Formula 1 was very centralised in Europe, not just with drivers, but the people working in the paddock,” he said.

“Now it's nice that you see a lot more different nationalities within Formula 1, not just in the drivers’ side. I would like to see more on the drivers’ side as well.

“But just the people around, yeah, just having a lot more people working in Formula 1 from other countries is nice to see.”