Checo flies the flag
According to legend, an ancient prophecy dictated that Mexico’s indigenous people should build a great city where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake. This location – on an island in a lake situated at an altitude of 7,300 feet – was where, 700 years ago, the ancient city of Tenochtitlan was founded. Modern-day Mexico City now occupies that site. The story of the eagle and the serpent is enshrined in the centre of the country’s flag, which is currently being unfurled by Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez.
As he proudly holds the large Mexican bandera, he is surrounded by a phalanx of TV camera crews and photographers. Standing next to a Racing Point show car in the heart of Mexico City, Pérez is inundated with requests from fans for autographs and selfies. Wherever he goes, the masses gravitate towards their hero, making any movement slow-going. But the 29-year old isn’t daunted. He dutifully obliges his adoring public, smiling for pictures and anointing their caps with his signature. The build-up to the Mexican Grand Prix is unlike any other for this local racer.
It’s early morning on the
