Perez to miss Mexico City fan forum through illness, remains set for Friday practice

Sergio Perez will skip Thursday's fan forum at the Mexico City Grand Prix after feeling unwell, but Cadillac expects him to take part in both Friday practice sessions at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Why it matters:

Perez's home weekend is already a major storyline, with Cadillac planning to celebrate his 300th grand prix start and having just announced a contract extension through 2029. Any disruption to his track time would be a blow for a team still chasing its first points of the season.

The details:

• Cadillac said Perez needed extra rest before Friday's on-track running, adding that his participation in FP1 and FP2 is not affected.
• Valtteri Bottas, his team-mate, skipped Thursday's media day through illness but is expected at the track on Friday.
• Bottas's car is due to be driven by Colton Herta in FP1 as the American pursues super licence mileage.
• If Perez cannot take part in FP1, Bottas is likely to contest the session while Herta switches to Perez's Cadillac. Reserve driver Zhou Guanyu is also in Mexico.
• Cadillac has endured a difficult rookie campaign and sits last in the championship with no points from 18 races.

What's next:

Perez remains scheduled to appear in FP1 at 12:30pm local time, with FP2 following three and a half hours later. Cadillac has cover if his condition worsens, but the team will want its home hero on track as it builds toward a more competitive future.