FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Mexican F1 driver Sergio Perez to speak to media after announcing his Cadillac team signing - Plaza Carso, Mexico City - August 27, 2025 Formula One driver Sergio Perez poses with Cadillac F1 team CEO, Dan Towriss and the flag of Mexico during his announcement of signing with the new Cadillac Formula One team for the 2026 season REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -Formula One wants fans to be passionate but they must also respect race winners, Mexican Sergio Perez said after McLaren's Lando Norris faced boos on the podium in Mexico and Brazil in recent weeks.
Perez, who has been on the F1 podium 39 times in his career and has one of the most loyal and passionate followings of any driver, is making his return with the new Cadillac team next season.
The former McLaren driver, now 35 and a six-times race winner, left Red Bull at the end of last season.
Norris is leading the championship from teammate Oscar Piastri but has drawn boos among the cheers from some spectators as he celebrated winning the last two races, moving 24 points clear at the top.
"I don't think that's nice, obviously, to be booing the guy that won a race," Perez told Reuters while visiting the team's Silverstone factory.
"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."
Perez's fans were blamed by some for the boos in Mexico, although the reasons were unclear.
Some commentators suggested there was still a grievance over comments made by the Briton about the Mexican's poor run of form last year when Norris was battling Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the title.
Red Bull's sister team Racing Bulls were drawn into the spotlight in Brazil when a video on social media showed an employee giving thumbs down gestures as Norris celebrated his victory.
Racing Bulls issued a statement on Wednesday saying they were aware of the footage and "it doesn't reflect our team's values or the spirit of VCARB (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls).
"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."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
