Sergio Perez Responds After Yuki Tsunoda Incident in Max Verstappen Title Fight

Sergio Perez, the man who famously helped Max Verstappen win the F1 title in 2021, has gone viral for what appears to be his response to Yuki Tsunoda’s inability to hold off Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi.

One of the big talking points from Sunday's Grand Prix at Yas Marina involved Norris and Tsunoda, who were both placed under investigation by FIA stewards following a controversial incident on lap 23.

Norris overtook Tsunoda between turns five and six, but the soon-to-be champion came under the microscope for allegedly leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Tsunoda, meanwhile, was investigated for changing his line on more than one occasion.

Eventually, the Japanese driver received a five-second penalty for his actions, while Norris escaped without a sanction – a decision that sparked a huge amount of reaction online.

Tsunoda's inability to help Red Bull teammate Verstappen was scrutinised by some. You could say Red Bull were yearning for a certain Sergio Perez, who earned a reputation for his defensive drives with the team.

Perez even got involved in the conversation, as he responded to a meme of Marvel's Thanos, which was edited to feature Perez’s face on the supervillain. The post also included his catchphrase: “Perhaps I treated you too harshly.”

The Mexican reposted the meme and simply wrote: "Perhaps (laughing emoji)" – a response that received more than 187,000 likes at the time of writing.

For those unaware, Perez helped Verstappen claim his 2021 F1 title after taking on Lewis Hamilton before the halfway point in Abu Dhabi, which allowed his Red Bull teammate to catch up to the pair.

Perez was called a “legend” by Verstappen for his efforts. “I think without Checo I wouldn’t be sitting here right now because then they would have had a pit gap with the Safety Car and stuff so definitely Checo was driving incredibly today,” he said.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also gave him a pat on the back.

“Checo’s been amazing. We talked about it before the race, how can he help Max; the way he backed Lewis up, he brought Max into play. They had a quicker car than us today, it was just strategy that we were able to make play,” said Horner.

“The tow [in qualifying], we saw it in Monza; he’s done such a good job for this team and he’s a big part of this victory."

Horner added: "He just sends it, and you can’t ask more from a team mate than that. He made it really tough for Lewis, he didn’t give up. Such a wonderful, wonderful job."

Perez will return to the grid in 2026 with Cadillac, who have also signed F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas ahead of their first F1 campaign.