May 23 (GMM) Sergio Perez has admitted that his home race in Mexico looks set to drop off the 2020 calendar.
Not yet wanting to expand the schedule beyond 21 races, Liberty Media needs to drop two current races to make room for Zandvoort and Vietnam.
Barcelona looks to be the victim of the new Dutch GP, while the popular race in Mexico is likely to be axed to make way for Vietnam.
“I hope that our race stays, because it is very important for Mexican fans and the entire country,” said Racing Point driver Perez.
“The negotiations are going on but so far the situation does not look very favourable,” he admitted.
Perez is well connected among F1’s Mexican faction, as he is backed by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
“This is a political decision that does not depend on me, even if I can try to influence it,” he said.
Perez is confident that Mexico’s calendar demise does not necessarily endanger his career, saying: “The Mexican sponsors I have were there long before the race in Mexico.
“Let’s see what the consequences are. I don’t think the race was there solely because of me, but it is obvious that the presence of a Mexican driver played a part. However, I am not particularly concerned,” he added.
As for his chances in Monaco this weekend, Perez is also not hopeful.
“We are very concerned about what happened in Barcelona,” he said, referring to the fact that a big car upgrade did not deliver its promise.
“The car had absolutely no pace. It was much worse than we expected. The updates did not work at all. Hopefully we are back to normal here.”