The father of Sergio Perez was rushed to hospital shortly after suffering a pre-heart attack after watching the Formula One driver’s huge crash in Baku.
Perez, widely known as Checo, was fighting for a podium finish at last Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix when he collided with Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap.
The merest of contact between the Red Bull and Ferrari sent both cars into the wall at high-speed and out of the race, with the grand prix finishing under the safety car due to the debris on the track.
Thankfully both drivers were unharmed, but the crash appeared to cause Checo’s father Antonio Perez Garibay to have a medical emergency.
The 65-year-old was found unconscious at his home in Mexico City on the Sunday, reportedly just after the grand prix had finished, and was rushed to hospital.
A statement from the former politician’s press office read on Tuesday: ‘Perez Garibay was found unconscious in the bathroom of his Mexico City home, where paramedics attended to provide immediate medical attention.
‘He was rushed to a hospital in the capital, where he is currently under medical observation and in stable condition. We thank you for your expressions of support and affection.’
In a further update, Perez Garibay’s racing organisation, Scuderia Perez, said: ‘Mr. Perez Garibay is stable but remains in intensive care under constant medical review, focusing mainly on his heart and other vital organs.
‘The specialists in charge have indicated that his condition continues to be closely monitored.’
It is said he suffered a pre-infarction, a condition associated with chest pain that can happen before a heart attack.
Perez Garibay has since been pictured in hospital and himself suggested that Checo’s crash may have played a part, telling Mexican publication Medio Tiempo: ‘Everything happened after the accident.
‘The shock of the accident may have caused it. They are already checking my heart to see why I fainted.‘
While Perez Garibay continues to recover, Checo has arrived in Singapore for the next round of the F1 championship this weekend.
The Mexican has endured a tough time this season and his DNF in Baku combined with Oscar Piastri’s victory has allowed McLaren to leapfrog Red Bull and lead the constructors’ standings for the first time in over a decade.
With seven races to go in 2024, Checo’s teammate Max Verstappen leads the other McLaren of Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings by 59 points.
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