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Sergio Perez has condemned the booing of Lando Norris by F1 fans. The McLaren driver, who is leading the championship, was booed viciously during the Mexico Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix weekends.
In Mexico, Norris had to stop speaking momentarily during the post-qualifying and post-race interviews because the booing from the entire crowd was too loud. While one theory was that the Mexican fans were upset with certain past comments he'd made about home hero Sergio Perez during his time of struggle at Red Bull, another reason was that McLaren was seemingly prioritizing him in the drivers' championship over Oscar Piastri, which didn't sit right with many fans.
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The saga continued at Interlagos as loud boos consumed the cheers for Lando Norris when he was introduced on the podium as the Brazilian GP race winner. Perez, who will drive for Cadillac F1 in 2026, visited the team's Silvertsone headquarters this week. He spoke out against such happenings, asking F1 fans to be more respectful.
"I don't think that's nice, obviously, to be booing the guy that won a race," Perez told Reutere. "But at the same time, it's also good to see the feelings of the fans, you know, in terms of how passionate they are. But I think it's got to be done with respect. We have to have respect for the guy that won the race, always. But, yeah, it's how it is."
Lando Norris had addressed the booing incidents after the Mexico GP. He took the negativity in his stride, saying (via ESPN):
"That's sport sometimes. I don't know why. I was kind of laughing ... I think it makes it more entertaining for me. Of course, you don't want it, I'd prefer if people cheered for me. I just concentrate on doing my thing... it was the same in Monza and a few other places."
Racing Bulls issues apologetic statement after a team member boos Lando Norris after the Brazilian GP
Besides Lando Norris being booed by the fans during the Brazilian Grand Prix podium celebrations, a Racing Bulls employee was also seen encouraging the crowd to keep going. The person was recording the crowd's reaction when the McLaren driver was presented with the winner's trophy and also doing a thumbs-down gesture.
A fan recorded the act, and shortly after, the video began doing the rounds on social media. Racing Bulls shared a message of regret on Wednesday, highlighting that the matter had been handled internally.
"We’re aware of the video from the weekend’s podium," the team wrote in a statement on X. "It doesn’t reflect our team’s values or the spirit of VCARB. The matter has been handled internally. We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team, and fan both on and off the track."
Lando Norris swept the Brazilian GP weekend, taking poles and race wins in both the 24-lap Sprint event and the 71-lap feature event. He extended his one-point lead over teammate McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship to 24 points.
