Vamos, Papi! Sergio Perez's politician father is a Mexican fiesta on legs

Anyone who watched this past weekend's Mexican Grand Prix would have seen the cameras focusing quite a bit on a figure in the Formula 1 paddock. Whether it's to capture his smile or a facial expression, the weekend belonged to one person - and he's not even a celebrity, per se!

Antonio Perez Garibay. Don't feel too left in the dark if the name is unfamiliar because, until very recently, he was not too prevalent in F1 circles.

But Garibay has, almost overnight, become a sensation and a personality F1 personnel want to be around. Sure, he seems a bit much and very animated, but he is everything a Mexican fiesta should be. The vibe. The energy. The relentless positivity that salsas out of him.

This is Antonio Perez Garibay. This is Sergio Perez's father.

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He is a what?

While Perez Garibay is the life of the party, there seems to be a darker story behind the man. He is a politician and a member of Mexico's ruling party, the NGM. And he is said to be very close to the country's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

But some, especially Mexican locals, believe there is more to Perez Garibay's elaborate antics whenever the camera is on him. According to GP Blog, Perez Garibay wants to put his name in the hat for the 2024 Mexican presidency, and his son's Red Bull involvement is free publicity that none of his political rivals can afford.

However, the NGM is a controversial party, not living up to the promise of eradicating the drug problem crippling the country. And Perez Garibay, with his close ties to the president, received boos during the post-race interviews. Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton thought the boos were directed at him, but