Sergio Perez had a rough weekend in Canada, and it’s only getting worse. After crashing his Red Bull car during the Canadian Grand Prix, he’s been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona.
On Lap 53 at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Perez lost control after hitting a wet patch of the road and collided into the Turn 6 barriers. The crash severely damaged the rear wing of his car. Despite the damage, Red Bull instructed Perez to bring the car back to the pits, hoping to avoid a safety car situation that could’ve jeopardized Max Verstappen’s lead.
As Perez limped back to the pitlane, his car shed debris all over the track. The FIA race stewards decided to investigate whether Red Bull had breached rules by leaving the car out in an unsafe condition. After reviewing the incident, both Perez and Red Bull were found guilty. The stewards slapped Perez with a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix and fined the team 25,000 euros.
Red Bull admitted that they asked Perez to continue driving in order to avoid a safety car. At the time, Verstappen was leading with a five-second buffer ahead of Lando Norris from McLaren. Parking the car on the spot could have erased Verstappen’s lead.
The stewards explained their decision, stating, ‘After making contact with the barriers in Turn 6, the driver continued on track for the remainder of the lap with a significantly damaged car and thereby lost several carbon fibre parts on the way back to the pits.’ They emphasized that the sporting penalty was necessary due to the safety implications of the incident.
This penalty adds to Perez’s woes after an already challenging Canadian GP weekend, where he started from the 16th position following a poor qualifying session. By the time of the crash, he had climbed up to 13th, aided by an earlier safety car that kept him in contention for a top-10 finish.
Perez’s penalty and Red Bull’s fine comes as a hefty reminder of the strict safety regulations in Formula 1. With a challenging weekend behind him, Perez will have to start the Spanish Grand Prix three places further back, making his mission for redemption even more complex.
Source: Motorsport
