Checo Pérez brings Reforma to a standstill: over 100,000 people and a young man who falls from a tree
The Mexican driver did donuts in front of the Angel of Independence with his Cadillac team. The video of a fan who climbed a tree to watch and fell onto the crowd went around social media.
Translated from the original Spanish article. Read in Spanish
News published on October 28, 2026. The situation may have changed since then.
Mexico City went all out for Sergio "Checo" Pérez. On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the Guadalajara-born driver went down Paseo de la Reforma with his Cadillac team in a *show run*, an exhibition to warm up for the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend.
A packed avenue
According to La Jornada, more than 100,000 people lined both sides of Reforma, between the Angel of Independence and the Diana the Huntress fountain. Many arrived before dawn to get a good spot, even though the event began at 10 a.m.
Checo first drove an adapted single-seater and did donuts for the crowd in front of the Angel. To close, he took a gentle lap in a classic Cadillac.
In 2021, another Checo show run on Reforma drew more than 130,000 people, according to ESPN.
His car stopped… so he signed autographs
There was a scare: the single-seater had a problem near the Angel. Checo got out, greeted fans and started signing shirts while his team fixed it. The crowd cheered him on.
The viral video: the young man in the tree
What got shared most on social media wasn't a donut. A young man climbed a tree to get a better view, even though people were shouting at him to come down. Just before reaching a branch, he slipped and fell on his back onto the people below. Another young man tried to grab him but couldn't reach.
Several people helped him up. It's not known whether he was seriously hurt. The video caused equal parts laughter and concern.
What's next
Checo races at home again with Cadillac, Formula 1's new team in 2026, which has just announced that it is extending his contract. The Mexican Grand Prix is held this weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
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Sources (in Spanish)
- Asistencia y recorrido: La Jornada y El Universal (28 de octubre de 2026).
- El joven que cayó del árbol: Infobae.
- Show run de 2021: ESPN.
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses; the author and license are shown under each image.
