Perez Hit with Three-Place Grid Penalty After Reckless Montreal Incident
In the aftermath of a chaotic wet-to-dry race at the Canadian Grand Prix on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty comes as a result of Perez’s reckless actions after he crashed into the Turn 6 barriers on Lap 53, severely damaging his RB20’s rear wing.
Perez, who had been running in 13th position at the time, lost control of his car after hitting a wet patch on the circuit while running on slick tires. The impact with the barriers caused significant damage to the rear of his car, with Perez shedding debris as he slowly limped back to the pits.
The FIA race stewards deemed that Red Bull had breached the sporting regulations by keeping Perez’s car out on track in an unsafe condition, with the team admitting that they had asked the Mexican driver to continue in order to avoid a safety car period. This decision ultimately proved costly, as Perez’s teammate Max Verstappen was leading the race at the time by a comfortable margin.
In their statement, the stewards explained that the penalty was imposed due to the “safety implications of the incident” and was in line with precedents. In addition to the three-place grid drop for the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull will also be required to pay a 25,000 euro fine for the infringement.
This latest setback caps off a disastrous weekend in Montreal for Perez, who had already started the race from 16th position after failing to progress beyond the first phase of qualifying. The grid penalty in Spain will further compound his challenges as he looks to rebound and regain his form in the championship battle.
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