Perez hit with three-place grid penalty for Spanish GP, Red Bull fined after Montreal race
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix for for driving his Red Bull in an unsafe condition in yesterday's Montreal race.
Perez crashed on Lap 51 of Sunday's rain-affected race in Montreal. The Mexican lost control of his car in Turn 6 after touching a part of the track that was still wet. As a result of his mistake, he made contact with the barriers which caused heavy damage to the rear wing of his car.
Perez managed to continue, and he crawled back to the pits to retire with his rear wing hanging off his car. On his way to the pits, he lost several carbon fibre parts.
The Mexican's action was investigated after the race, and the stewards deemed that Perez "failed to leave the track with serious mechanical difficulties after significantly damaging the rear wing."
As a result, Perez was handed a three-place grid penalty that he will serve at the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
During the hearing, Red Bull also disclosed that Perez had been advised to bring his car back to the pits in order to avoid a possible safety car situation that could have put his team-mate Max Verstappen's lead in danger. The Milton Keynes-based has also been handed a fine of EUR25000 for the infringement.
The stewards' verdict read: "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 11 (Sergio Perez), team representative and reviewed video, team radio and in-car video evidence.
"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. The team confirmed in the hearing that the driver had been advised to bring the car back to the pits as they were trying to avoid a Safety Car situation.
"The Stewards determine that, as well as a financial penalty for the team, a sporting penalty is necessary due to the safety implications of the incident. The penalty is imposed in line with precedents."
