WATCH: Sergio Perez shows the middle finger toward Nico Hulkenberg after overtaking the German at the Austrian GP

Sergio Perez struggles to match his early-season form and keep up with his teammate Max Verstappen. This has left the Mexican driver over 80 points behind the reigning World Champion. The recent Austrian GP proved to be a tumultuous race for the Mexican driver, with his frustration boiling over and becoming openly visible on the track.

Starting the race from 15th place due to a deleted lap time in Q2 of the qualifying session, Sergio Perez faced an uphill battle to salvage his race. This marked his fourth consecutive race failing to reach Q3, a disappointing streak for the driver. On the other hand, Nico Hulkenberg, currently in impressive form, made it to Q3 and started the race ahead of Pierre Gasly‘s Alpine in eighth position. 

Despite retiring later in the race due to an engine blow-up, Hulkenberg had a decent run until lap 14. It was during this moment that a recently surfaced video captured Sergio Perez’s vulgar gesture towards Hulkenberg, raising his middle finger. During the race, Sergio Perez caught up to his former teammate, Nico Hulkenberg. As he overtook him, the Mexican driver surprisingly raised his right-hand middle finger in an offensive gesture.

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Sergio Perez’s actions have fans bewildered as to why he did so

Teammates from 2014 to 2016 at Force India, Perez, and Hulkenberg, had a relatively amicable relationship, making the finger gesture puzzling. Perhaps Perez’s frustration stems from starting 15th and battling a Haas driver for points contributed to this display. Nico overtook Sergio in the Sprint race for second place and stunned the F1 world. Although Perez passed him back eventually, this probably might be one of the reasons why the Mexican raised his finger toward the German.

Despite the controversy, Perez secured a podium finish by overtaking Carlos Sainz. However, his pursuit of second place was thwarted by Charles Leclerc. It’s worth noting that Hulkenberg has had more appearances in Q3 than Perez during the Austrian Grand Prix, which could have slightly unsettled the Red Bull driver. Hulkenberg consistently outperforms his Haas and achieves Q3 qualifications with remarkable consistency.

As the F1 circus returns to its birthplace for the next weekend, Sergio Perez faces the huge task of maintaining his second position. Once a serious title challenger, Perez’s performance has significantly declined since the Miami GP. Furthermore, Fernando Alonso is hot on his heels, trailing by 13 points in the championship standings.

In case you missed it:

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