Sergio Perez has apologised publicly to his wife after videos showed him dancing with some young women in the wake of his Monaco Grand Prix success.
The Mexican was the toast of Formula 1 when he took the chequered flag in Monte Carlo, winning the prestigious race for the first time. He followed that up with a new Red Bull contract, which appeared to have completed one of the best weeks of his racing career.
But the 32-year-old ended it by taking to Instagram to try to get out of trouble with wife Carola Martinez following the emergence of several clips of him partying up-close with other women. The event appeared to take place on a yacht, with Perez caught on camera getting close to one woman and dancing with another.
In a lengthy apology post on social media, the Red Bull racer addressed the footage and swore that his relationship with his wife is better than ever. "I have seen the videos that have been circulating about me and I take responsibility for it," wrote the Mexican.
"It was a bad party that I didn't know how to control at the height of the person that I am, but it was just that, a very bad party. People close to me know my values and the type of person that I am. For those who ask me, we are more united than ever, me and my wife.
"And for those who just want to hurt us, I wish you the best. Thank you all for your love and I apologize to all the people who love me because those videos don't represent me not at all. We will not talk about this topic anymore, which only makes us forget the great moment we are living as a family. Thank you."
Meanwhile, Perez is also confident in the strength of the other important relationship in his life – the one he has with team-mate Max Verstappen. The pair swore that they would "still be in love" if they fought each other for the title this season, while the Mexican further talked up their friendship as he signed his new Red Bull contract.
"We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more," Perez explained. "We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future."
