Perez says he isn’t to blame for Covid-19 diagnosis: “I was unlucky”

2020 Spanish Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Sergio Perez defended his decision to fly back to Mexico in between the Hungarian and British Grands Prix, despite being forced to miss two races after contracting Covid-19 during that time.

The Racing Point driver said he did not take any unnecessary risks on his trip home and did not accept any blame for his diagnosis.

“I’ve put everything out in a video,” said Perez. “Where I went, any place I visited, anything I did after Hungary.

“Everything was done with extreme precautions with very extreme lines. I was well aware what was going on.

“I think I was just unlucky. I haven’t done anything different to the rest of the paddock. So I was just the unlucky one to get it. That’s one thing. But I’m not willing to take any blame for that because anyone can get it, I was just the unlucky one.”

Perez will return to the cockpit this weekend after testing negative for Covid-19 ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. He said he has not changed the precautions he is taking to avoid the virus while in Spain for this weekend’s race.

“To be honest, before that, we were already so conservative and took so many precautions that nothing really changes, whether you are positive or negative. The procedures are very, very similar.

“So the amount of precautions that we take have been already in place. [There’s] nothing really more or to do differently than what I’ve done and what we are doing already.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2020 F1 season

Browse all 2020 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

29 comments on “Perez says he isn’t to blame for Covid-19 diagnosis: “I was unlucky””

  1. Well, maybe he wasn’t “doing anything different from the anyone else” but still, somewhere on his way to Mexico, in Mexico, seeing his Mother, whatever, travelling back and having holidays, he clearly was not just in that bubble they should have been in.

    Maybe he does not want to accept blame. But he will know that he would not have had to sit out these last 2 races if not for “what he did not do different”

    1. “he clearly was not just in that bubble they should have been in.”

      Whilst I don’t agree with what Perez did, there was no stipulation to stay within the bubble between venues. What Leclerc did was arguably much worse.

      1. @john-h – I think there were pictures of Perez socializing with people during the time as well, not unlike what Leclerc did.

        But I do agree that this shows exactly what risks crop up when they ignore those bubbles in between race weekends

    2. not only that… he also had meetings with his sponsors and everything. in the hopes to up the amount they pay so he would be more secure for his seat. So he didn’t only travel to the region that is the most affected by covid, he also was way outside any bubble imaginable.

      But then again, so is Leclerc (considering his instagram pictures he posted today). It’s just that he isn’t in the most affected region but in greece :p

  2. “I haven’t done anything different to the rest of the paddock” haha LOL. He went on a long international flight to Mexico.

    1. Presumably some Haas staff would have returned to their main base in North Carolina as well? There’s no prohibition on teams being based outside Europe…

      1. yes, except for Haas F1 being based in Banbury in Oxfordshire…

      2. @markzastrow That isn’t the ‘main’ base for the race team, though, as the cars, of course, stay and get serviced in Banbury.

      3. @jerejj @cdfemke Yes, of course their forward base is there, and I suppose there isn’t a critical need for the Kannapolis designers to attend the race if they don’t have to.

  3. Well. At least he has immunity to break the bubble now.

    1. Not true. People have contracted the virus more than once.

      1. It has been debunked months ago.
        What happened in South Korea and Bali was the RNA test read inactive virus residue as positive results.

      2. hobo. No one has, as yet, contracted Covid 19 more than once.

  4. I guess COVID-19 affected his sense of realism.
    He wasn’t ‘just unlucky’, IMO he was ‘reckless’ and ‘selfish’ to travel to Mexico.
    A simple check of any foreign office travel advice could’ve have shown this to him.
    And I’m quite strong on my view of his travels being selfish. What if he infected a few engineers in his bubble, who then affected a live-in elderly at home. Or many more permutations of what could’ve happened.

    PS I still haven’t visited my mother since March; and she is not living in Mexico!

    1. Yeah, I think he just needs to talk less regarding this as he just keeps digging a deeper hole for himself.

    2. @coldfly I’m in the same boat. I’m English but live in France and with the cases rising here I’ve told my parents not to come. Frustrating as they’re in their late 70s

  5. I have been a big fan of Checo for the last 9 years but this time, I must say, Checo is at fault. He’s never had such a competitive car before; he is under pressure from a potential replacement at Racing Point; his last race in Hungary wasn’t good and was beaten by his teammate; he has made mistakes at all races this year, some of which cost him valuables points. Thus, it was the time to stay home and focus. I also live many thousands of kilometres away from home and doesn’t even cross my mind to go home now, even if I was offered a private yet. I can get the virus while I am there, or I can bring it with me and get it to others, not to mention to his own mother (if it is true that she suffered an accident). Checo doesn’t need to take the blame, but he should know that sitting out for two races is his own responsibility; that it should have been avoided; and that now he is even more under pressure because of Hulkenberg’s performances.

  6. Mexican ESPN channel said Perez, sixth in the World Series, traveled at least to Mexico and Italy after the Hungarian GP.

    Perez, for example, had been seen on July 21 at a restaurant in Mexico’s third-largest city, Guadalajara. Perez also posed unhindered with fans in joint photos.

    On July Day 24 Perez’s wife Carola Martinez had in turn posted on her Instagram account pictures of the couple on holiday in Porto Cervo, Italy.

    Martinez had removed the images from social media two hours after the Perez coronavirus test revealed ambiguities, ESPN says.

  7. What a selfish twit.

    He easily could’ve been the beginning of a chain of infections that could’ve meant the 2020 F1 show shutting down 4 races in.

  8. GtisBetter (@)
    13th August 2020, 16:05

    This seems weak. He is responsible for the actions which led to him getting COVID. “Not to blame, not my fault, unlucky” are things children use for excuses.

  9. jonathan leggett
    13th August 2020, 16:06

    I would like to know how his mother is. I am certainly not wishing her any harm but having just come out of hospital there is every chance that she was infected.

  10. Ok…

    Who is more unlucky – Sergio or Nico?

    1. @dallein Good question.

  11. Good on him for sticking up for himself. It’s ugly to blame someone for getting a highly infectious disease. Ok, he flew to a hotspot, but if the right precautions were taken, it shouldn’t be that different to flying to Monaco, Finland or whatever. It’s an instance where benefit of the doubt should be given rather than leanings towards victim blaming

  12. This guy has never once taken responsibility for his screw-ups on track, and now we see it’s the same off track.

    1. if he keeps up the story he followed the procedures and protocols to the letter, then the procedures need to be tightened up a lot. appearently they are not secure enough to prevent covid. So if he is serious, next step is no drivers leaving the circuit anymore :-p Thanks Perez!

  13. Zoom exists, so would’ve been better off doing it this way than travelling all the way there, and risking something going wrong given the Corona-situation in Mexico.

  14. He travelled right into the Danger Zone

  15. At least this exposes that anyone can get the virus no matter what restrictions they take and the lockdowns for the general population is an example of the remedy being worst that the disease.

Comments are closed.