Perez denies apologising to Button

Sergio Perez has denied apologising to Jenson Button, after the McLaren teammates clashed in the recent Bahrain grand prix.

Following Button’s harsh criticism of team newcomer Perez’s driving, the 2009 world champion said: "Checo has apologised. We had a good discussion."

23-year-old Mexican Perez, however, clarified that his apology was not to Button, but to the famous British team.

"It was said in various publications that I apologised to Jenson," Perez said during a visit to Mexico City, "but it wasn’t like that.

"I didn’t apologise to him, because I didn’t think it was necessary," he is quoted as saying on a video published on the Guardian’s website.

"We owed an apology to the team, and that’s what we talked about. We apologised to the team, because we risked a lot and we were both very aggressive.

"But no, at no moment did I apologise (to Button). Our relationship is still ok."

Former Sauber driver Perez has admitted to struggling amid the higher pressure of being at McLaren in 2013.

But he told EFE news agency: "I count on the support of an entire country (Mexico).

"The beginning with McLaren has not been easy," he continued. "I am in a British team with a British driver, and the British press has been very hard on me.

"And of course it was not the start of the season we had hoped for, which put even more pressure on."