Force India's Sergio Perez donates £125,000 to Mexico City earthquake relief effort

Buildings have been reduced to rubble in Mexico City, while many have been killed in the surrounding areas, following the country's deadliest quake in more than three decades

Sergio Perez has acted to help the victims of an earthquake in his homeland (Getty)

Force India's Sergio Perez has donated £125,000 to the victims of Tuesday's Mexico earthquake in which nearly 250 people have been killed.

Buildings have been reduced to rubble in Mexico City, while many have been killed in the surrounding areas, following the country's deadliest quake in more than three decades.

Perez, 27, is currently the only Mexican driver on the F1 grid and the poster boy for his home race which is due to be staged in the capital Mexico City next month.

Perez, who finished fifth at Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, also revealed that Carlos Slim - the Mexican telecommunications billionaire who has been heavily involved in his motor racing career - will contribute to the disaster fund.

"I'm deeply concerned for what my country is living," Perez said in a message on his Instagram account. "It's time to be united. I've made an alliance with fund-carlosslim and for each 1 that fundacionchecoperez receives, they will donate 5. I'd like to kick off this initiative by donating 3 million pesos. Please join us!"

Perez, who announced in Singapore that he is to continue with the British-based Force India team for a fifth successive season next year, is deeply proud of his Mexican heritage.

Last year he severed ties with one of his personal sponsors after they issued a tweet mocking Mexicans in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's presidential election victory.

"Mexicans, put on these glasses so they can't see your crying eyes tomorrow when building the wall," the sunglasses company Hawkers tweeted before removing the ill-advised post.

Perez also lent his support to a campaign at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - the host track for the Mexican Grand Prix - against Trump's plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. "Bridges not walls," the slogan read.