Sergio Perez has criticised his father, Antonio Perez Garibay, after homophobic comments made towards former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
Sky Germany pundit Schumacher, who revealed he was in a same-sex relationship in July, had insisted that Perez won’t drive a “single metre” for Red Bull next year, as speculation continues to swirl about the Mexican’s future in the sport.
Yet Perez’s father Antonio, 65, responded to those remarks by making light of Schumacher’s decision to come out as gay earlier this year.
“There’s a driver who was a Formula 1 driver, [turned] journalist,” Perez Garibay told ESPN, referring to Schumacher. “He first stated that Checo [Perez] was already out of Red Bull.
“The following week, he [Schumacher] came out of the closet. I don’t know if he was in love with Checo. Do you understand it?
“There are many strange things. You no longer know if he is a journalist, a woman, a gentleman.
“But his opinion doesn’t matter, not because of Checo Perez, but because of what his [ex-]wife said about him.”
When asked for his response about his father’s comments on media day at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Red Bull driver Perez said: “First of all, I don’t agree with any of his comments. I think he did a mistake in that regard.
“I don’t share any of his views but at the same time I don’t control what my father has to say, I can only control what I say.
“It’s important as a sport to always show that whatever happens on track it always remains on track. That’s the way I see it and we should always be an example for the rest of the world.”
Meanwhile, Schumacher, the brother of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, posted a response to Perez Garibay’s remarks on Instagram.
“I would also stand behind my son 100 per cent and try to help,” wrote Schumacher.
“That’s what you do as a father. As far as style is concerned, I would be different but we know Mr Perez with all his emotions.
“That’s why I’m not angry with him. However, I think that results on the track would be the better arguments.”
Perez is eighth in the drivers’ standings while teammate Max Verstappen is first and on the cusp of a fourth-straight world championship.
Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto have been linked with replacing Perez at Red Bull in 2025.
