"Pato O'Ward is as popular as me, but not as Sergio Perez in Mexico”: Max Verstappen's brother-in-law weighs in on the ongoing IndyCar controversy

NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez, who is married to Julia Piquet, sister of Max Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet, stated that IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward isn't as popular as Sergio Perez in Mexico. Perez, a 34-year-old Red Bull F1 driver, has been leading the charge for his country for over a decade and has been one of the key reasons behind the sport holding a race in the country since 2015.

Suarez, who is also a prominent figure in motorsport, noted that while O'Ward is as popular as he is in Mexico, he is not as popular as Sergio Perez. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Peter Stratta, owner of TSJSports1, Suarez said:

"I think he's as popular as well but not as popular as Sergio Perez. I think Checo Perez is the one who has been leading the group with having a lot of Formula 1 races in Mexico. he's doing an amazing job and definitely leads the Mexican drivers who are doing good things internationally."

Just like F1, its American counterpart NASCAR also announced that it would be holding a race in Mexico in 2025 but IndyCar won't be doing the same despite having a star driver, Pato O'Ward, from the country.

As per "The Race," IndyCar's decision to not hold races in Mexico had nothing to do with O'Ward's popularity but with the budget restraints and the cost of freight travel to the series. While several IndyCar drivers have been in favor of racing in Mexico, the series has declined the possibility and faced the ire of the young Mexican.

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F1 pundit gives his take on Red Bull sticking with Sergio Perez

F1 pundit Joe Saward stated that Red Bull's decision to stick with Sergio Perez for the remainder of the 2024 season might be down to the $17 million sponsorship that the Mexican driver brings to the team from the Americas.

In his Green Notebook, Saward reported:

"The team decided to keep Sergio just before the summer break, by making it clear that he must do better. He has not done so. Dropping him is still an option, but he is hugely popular in the Americas, where a lot of Red Bull is drunk and sponsorship worth $17 million is at Red Bull because of him."

"Red Bull bosses say (quietly) that they will bench him if he does not get better, but if that is the case the Austrian drinks company should order some suits of armor for Christian Horner and Helmut Marko for when they visit Mexico City (and an armored personnel carrier to get them in and out of the circuit)."

Sergio Perez is the only leading driver from the top four teams who has yet to win a race in the 2024 season. He currently sits P7 in the driver standings with 143 points in 16 races and three sprints thus far.