Sergio Perez hopes this year’s limited paddock access in Mexico will strike a nice balance between the area’s attendance and making life easier for team members and the drivers.
Following security issues that befell part of the F1 community in the paddock last year at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, when many struggled to move freely within the area due to the massive congestion, the local organisers and F1 have limited access to the space for this year’s event.
F1 drivers have embraced the initiative, acknowledging the need to strike a balance between fan access and the mobility of those for whom the paddock is first and foremost a working space.
"I think we've got to appreciate, obviously, the Mexican fans are really enthusiastic," commented Perez, a man who will be followed by tens of thousands of fans at the track this weekend.
"But at the same time, we have to make sure that the drivers are comfortably going around the paddock, and I think that that should be a nice balance.
"And I just want everyone to have a great time in my country and I think that's something that went over the limit last year, that hopefully this year can be improved. Because overall it's in my opinion the best reception for all the drivers in the world."
Mercedes’ George Russell is all for enjoying a proximity to the sport’s fans, but the GPDA director agreed that paddock attendance was out of control last year in Mexico.
"I think for me, the more the merrier is great," he said. "But at the end of the day, we're all here to do a job.
"And last year, we were struggling just to get from our engineers' office to the garage without people jumping on us and sticking cameras right in our face.
"It was a bit of a strange environment. So yeah, I'm happy for the paddock to be packed as long as we've all got a sensible way through to get to where we've got to be."
For Alex Albon, a frequent complication on Grand Prix weekend’s is getting in and out of the paddock rather than moving withing it.
"It's a tricky one," said the Williams driver. "I do think we do need to make our sport as accessible as possible, so I don't see such a big issue with people being in the paddock, but I do know there's obviously limitations to it.
"To be honest with you, I don't think the paddock has been that bad. For me it's more been kind of just getting out of the paddock.
"Sometimes you kind of leave the paddock and almost run over people's feet because they're kind of all coming up to your windows and everything. That stuff is maybe a little bit more touch and go, with the paddock I'm not too worried about it."
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc admitted that the fan atmosphere in Mexico City is part of what makes the event so special as far as he is concerned.
“But it’s true that on our way to the garages it was a little bit too much last year, so let’s see if we have found the right balance – I don’t know that yet,” the Ferrari driver concluded.
Lewis Hamilton, perhaps the most popular and sought after personality in the F1 Paddock, said that his security detail makes life much easier for him when it comes to dealing with the enthusiasm of the fans.
“Ultimately I do have security just to help me get through crowds, without I wouldn’t be able to move as quickly and swiftly as I do,” the Briton asserted.
“It also enables you to have a better interaction with people so you’re not getting overcrowded.”
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