Sergio Perez pokes fun at F1 "Mario Kart" references: 'I need the mushroom'
Sergio Perez once again joked that Formula 1’s new 2026 rules feel like "Mario Kart"
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Cadillac Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez poked fun at the recent comments likening the current 2026 regulations to Mario Kart.
During the Chinese Grand Prix, in which he finished in 15th, the Mexican driver joked over the team radio, "I need a mushroom now. It disappeared. I don't know what happened."
Perez, who joined Cadillac as it joined the championship as the 11th team in 2026, had previously spoken about how Overtake Mode and the use of the boost button in the new regulations is similar to playing the retro game.
"I found it very fake, to be honest," Perez told the media in Shanghai, when asked what he felt about the racing at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
"Just on a button. You overtake and then you get overtaken. Yeah, Mario Kart style."
He added: "At the end of the day, also the driver can do the difference, but it comes down. It's very early days on these rules, but it takes time. But what we saw in Melbourne, me talking as a fan, I didn't like it."
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also pointed to the video game during a team radio message in Australia. "This is like the mushroom in Mario Kart," the Monegasque driver said.
Haas' Oliver Bearman also agreed. "Yeah, a little bit," he told the media in Melbourne when asked if it was like playing a game. "It was like I was in F1 and everyone else was in F2. But then, of course, you have to recharge the battery again, because otherwise you're dead into the next straight.
"So, it's a lot of stuff to think about, which is complicated, but the fact that I finished P7 means that I'm happy, even if the car has not been the most fun to drive this weekend."
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