Sergio Perez received a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix after being found to have driven back to the pits with a “significantly damaged car” during the Montreal race.
In what turned out to be a disastrous Canadian Grand Prix weekend for Sergio Perez, the Mexican driver spun off on Lap 53, damaging his rear wing. He managed to limp back to the pits and subsequently retired. After the race in Montreal, Perez was summoned by the stewards and handed a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix. It was determined that he had continued driving with a “significantly damaged car,” shedding several carbon fibre parts on his way back to the pits.
Red Bull also received a €25,000 fine for the incident. During the post-race hearing, the team confirmed that Perez had been instructed to return to the pits to avoid triggering a Safety Car, as his teammate Max Verstappen was leading the race. The stewards’ statement noted: “After making contact with the barriers in Turn 6, the driver [Perez] continued on track for the remainder of the lap with a significantly damaged car, losing several carbon fibre parts on the way back to the pits.”
The stewards further explained that a sporting penalty was necessary in addition to the financial one due to the safety risks involved.
Despite signing a two-year contract extension with Red Bull last week, Perez’s difficult weekend in Canada marked his second consecutive race without scoring points. He also retired in Monaco after a first-lap collision and struggled with qualifying, starting 16th in both the Principality and Montreal.
Reflecting on the incident, Perez said, “I made a mistake going into Turn 6, just touched the wet patch, and once you do that, it’s game over. Unfortunately, that’s what happened. It was a very tough weekend, but the season is long, and we will return to the form we had earlier.”
