Naturally, F1 drivers are heavily supported when they turn up at their home event - but in the modern era, perhaps no driver has received louder support than Sergio Perez in his native Mexico.
Perez entered the event buoyed by his second podium in Mexico one year prior, where he drove to third place around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
A dream race victory on home soil had evaded him for years, but in 2023, Perez sensed an opportunity amid his fight for second place in the drivers' championship.
Starting fifth on the grid, Perez launched superbly off the line and immediately positioned himself to challenge the leaders into Turn 1. With pole-sitter Charles Leclerc battling Max Verstappen ahead, the Mexican spotted an opening and committed fully to an ambitious outside move.
“I’m second in the championship, there are still three races to go, and I tried to go for the win at my home grand prix,” Perez explained after the race.
“I mean, what else could I have done? I saw the gap, I went for it.”
The manoeuvre proved catastrophic. With insufficient space for three cars to navigate Turn 1 simultaneously, Perez's RB19 made contact with Leclerc's Ferrari, launching the Mexican's car dramatically airborne before careering off track.
Despite managing to nurse the damaged car back to the pits, the impact had caused irreparable harm, forcing an immediate retirement.
Leclerc, lodged between both Red Bulls at the start, later reflected: "I was caught between the two Red Bulls at the start and unfortunately Checo and I touched, which led to me picking up some damage on the car and to Checo retiring."
The stewards deemed it a racing incident, acknowledging the inherent risks when three drivers fight for the same piece of track.
For Perez, the timing couldn't have been worse. Sitting second in the championship but with Lewis Hamilton closing to within 20 points and just three races remaining, every point mattered.
The Mexican had also been under scrutiny regarding his Red Bull future, making a strong home performance crucial for multiple reasons.
"At your home grand prix, after being on the podium twice you want to give it your all and I went totally for it," Perez admitted, the frustration evident in his voice.
The massive home support made the retirement all the more painful. Perez had acknowledged the extraordinary atmosphere beforehand: "Look at the crowd, there is no-one that has experienced this amount of support."
Instead of capitalising on that energy and a competitive car, Mexico's F1 hero watched from the sidelines as Verstappen claimed his 16th victory of the season.
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!