Perez criticises media as he shuts down Verstappen ‘rivalry’ rumours

Following his victory at the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen was subjected to heavy booing by sections of the Austin crowd who chanted Perez’s name during the podium celebrations. 

The triple world champion is expected to receive a hostile reception at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, with Red Bull taking the step to hire two bodyguards to protect Verstappen at Perez’s home race. 

Asked if he feels the rivalry could spill into something unsavoury at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Perez replied: “No, not at all.

“I think it's important that we give this message because I think the media likes to create this sort of rivalry outside the track.

"We are a great sport, we are a great example for a lot of younger generations. We should just be focused on the sporting side.

"Whatever happens on track should always stay there and that's the best message we as a country want to give to the rest of the world.

"There is nothing else going on. The most important is that everything stays on track.”

Perez added that it would be “insane” and his “biggest dream” to win in front of his home crowd this weekend.

He insisted he made “a lot of progress” with his form across the Austin weekend but was unable to show his “full potential” after his Red Bull car’s set-up was compromised. 

“We made a lot of progress,” said Perez, who was promoted to fourth at the Circuit of the Americas after Lewis Hamilton’s exclusion. 

“Unfortunately we didn’t get to show the full potential we had with the sprint event. We took the wrong direction with the car, like a lot of people did, like Mercedes and Ferrari.

“It’s what happens in those sort of events. We ended up taking the wrong direction with it but I believe that we made some really good progress.”