Perez wants drivers triggering red flags to be penalised

Michelle Foster
Sergio Perez holding his phone during a press conference. Imola April 2022

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez holding his phone during a press conference. Imola April 2022

With five red flags in play during Friday’s qualifying at Imola, Sergio Perez has called for the drivers who cause the stoppages to be penalised.

Taking to a wet Imola circuit on Friday afternoon for qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Formula 1 saw a record five red flags.

The previous record was four seen at the 2016 Hungarian GP and also at the 2021 Azerbaijan race.

Alex Albon brought out the first as his rear right brake exploded during Q1 while Carlos Sainz was responsible for the second when he crashed in Q2.

Q3 had three reds as Kevin Magnussen spun across the gravel and just managed to avoid colliding with a barrier before Valtteri Bottas parked his Alfa Romeo due to a technical issue and then Lando Norris crashed.

Both Norris and Magnussen still lined up on the grid ahead of Perez, the Red Bull driver saying that is unfair.

“On the red flags, I think it was pretty intense with all the red flags and I feel like we should review the rules because I feel like if a driver makes a mistake and causes a red flag he should be penalised somehow,” he said.

“I think when we go to other tracks like Monaco or places like that, it can actually be an advantage, you can have a mistake and still be on pole so it will be nice to review.

“I know Lando did a mistake, I was one of the drivers that did it. Just going forward, I think it would be good to make sure that if you make a mistake you pay for it.”

Last season Charles Leclerc grabbed pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing on his final lap.

His accident meant those behind him on the street circuit were unable to complete their final hot laps and therefore could not challenge for pole position.

At the time Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff called for a change to the regulations.

He told The Race: “I didn’t know that that was the rule in the US but I think it’s an intelligent rule that would avoid confusion.

“By any means I don’t think that Charles put it in the wall [deliberately], because there’s just too much at stake.

 

“But it would be a nice little incentive to make sure that the polemic that such a situation provokes is out of question, is not happening because nobody would doubt it.”

 

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