Mexican Flag With Marijuana Leaf Flown Over McLaren Merchandise Stand

Mexican government and U.S. Grand Prix fans objected to altered Mexican flag flown over the McLaren merchandise stand.

By H. Nelson Goodson

November 20, 2013

Austin, Texas - Over the weekend, the McLaren representatives had to immediately remove several altered Mexican flags that exhibited a marijuana leaf at the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. The Mexican government and U.S. Grand Prix fans complained about the placement of the flags at a McLaren merchandise stand.

Once representatives got word of the offending and disrespectful flags, they ordered for the flags to be remove and then apologized. The altered Mexican flags were placed at the merchandise stand selling McLaren products by a third party subcontractor who was running the McLaren stand. 

A large crowd of Mexican nationals who were at the race track to support McLaren race car driver Sergio Perez noticed the offending flags and complained. Also the McLaren race team got upset and had the flags removed immediately. 

After the race, Perez was unexpectedly dropped from the McLaren race team for 2014. Perez said, he was surprised that McLaren had decided to dropped him.