Sergio Perez’s father makes homophobic remarks on live TV about Ralph Schumacher
Antonio Perez Garibay, the Mexican driver's father, continues to make controversial comments. Yesterday, he directly attacked former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher. In a video, he made homophobic remarks about the German journalist.
Nothing seems to be smiling at Sergio Perez lately. Struggling on the track, where he is struggling to meet the expectations of Red Bull (only 48 points collected in the last 15 Grand Prix), the Mexican driver now sees his off-track reputation being tarnished. The cause? A controversial video broadcast by his father, Antonio Pérez, in which he violently attacks the journalist and former Formula 1 driver, Ralf Schumacher.
For Schumacher, Perez no longer has his place in F1.
The former Formula 1 driver had been particularly critical after the weekend in Mexico where Perez finished in last place. According to him, he shouldn’t even be driving a Formula 1 car anymore. Next year, he won’t even take a single meter in the car, I’m almost sure of it. I don’t even think he will finish the season. The poor man is under so much pressure that he won’t go home beaming with joy. It’s supposed to be a pleasure. And especially financially, it’s a disaster for the team, not just for the mechanics. If you want to change something against Ferrari, you have to do it quickly. These comments quickly drew a reaction from the father of the Mexican driver.
Antonio Perez sends a homophobic message to the German
During a conversation with ESPN, Antonio Pérez strongly criticized Ralf Schumacher, demanding apologies for the comments made against his son. The media should at least apologize. There is a driver who was a Formula 1 driver, [became] a journalist. He first stated that Checo was no longer at Red Bull. The following week, he came out of the closet.
However, Antonio Pérez did not stop there and continued in an inappropriate tone, with homophobic remarks targeting Ralf Schumacher, who recently came out as gay after divorcing in 2015. “I don’t know if he was in love with Checo. Do you understand that? There are many strange things. You no longer know if he is a journalist, a woman, a gentleman. But his opinion doesn’t matter, not because of Checo Perez, but because of what his [ex-]wife said about him.”
The German driver has responded to his accusations. Despite the personal attacks, Ralf Schumacher chose to respond in a measured way. In a post on Instagram, he expressed his understanding towards Antonio Pérez and understands a father’s desire to protect his son at all costs. “I would support my son 100% and try to help him. That’s what we do as fathers.”
An uncertain future for Perez
« As for the style, I would be different but we know Mr. Perez with all his emotions. That is why I am not angry against him,” he continued in remarks relayed by PlanetF1. With disappointing performances and a tense atmosphere within his team, Sergio Perez is getting closer to the exit. Despite the support of his father, the Mexican may be living his last hours in the Austrian racing car and more broadly in Formula 1.
