Sergio Pérez withdrew from the Japanese Grand Prix during it. Twice.
Pérez didn’t exactly have a happy weekend in Japan. He took fifth place in the qualification. He had contact with Hamilton after the start and had to pit.
But then he broke the rules behind the safety car. It may have appeared in the broadcast that the offense occurred when exiting the pits, but in reality it was before the pit stop. According to the sports commissioners, Pérez overtook Alonso before entering the pits. He received a penalty of 5 seconds and 2 penalty points for this.
Subsequently, he crashed with Magnussen in the 11th corner. According to the stewards, Pérez was largely to blame, mainly because “there was no significant part of car 11 (Pérez) next to car 20 (Magnussen)”. According to the sports commissioners, Pérez was therefore not entitled to space in the corner and “did not manage the overtaking maneuver in a safe and controlled manner”.
Pérez received an additional 5 seconds and 2 more penalty points for this – 7 out of 12 in total.
Chronology of events:
Lap 13: Pérez crashes Magnussen, pits, puts on new front wing, serves 5 second penalty for overtaking under SC. Lap 15: goes into the pits, race management issues a statement that they are investigating the incident. Lap 15: Pérez retires from the race. Lap 40: Pérez is back! Lap 41: Pérez pits, serves 5 second penalty, tires change. Lap 42: Pérez gets word from team to pit and retire Lap 42: Pérez retires for second time
Pérez pitted at approximately 2:32 p.m. local time. The stewards’ minutes state that it was issued at 3.15pm – well after Pérez’s resignation. In reality, however, the team was informed about the punishment earlier.
Of course, Pérez could no longer serve the penalty. The time penalty does not carry over to the next race. So it’s not possible for Pérez to get five seconds in Qatar.
But… there is article 54.3 in the Sports Rules. Another paragraph is kind of wedged between paragraphs d) and e):
If a rider is assessed any of the four penalties listed above, and that rider is unable to serve the penalty due to withdrawal from a sprint or race, the Stewards may impose a grid penalty on the rider in his next race.
The four penalties mentioned are penalties of 5 seconds, 10 seconds, going through the boxes and stop and go.
Pérez did not serve the penalty, so he was in real danger of being punished for the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull therefore returned him to the track (which the rules do not prohibit) and let him complete the penalty.
Apparently everything was fine according to Alex Wurz. “When you get out of the car, it’s the official end of the grand prix,” the head of the drivers’ association told ORF. “But there are exceptions – if you have to get out of the car and fix something. The repair itself is allowed. You can replace the front wing in the pits. You can let yourself be pushed, change something briefly and then leave again. The regulations allow it.”
Crucial in this case, according to Wurz, is that Red Bull probably convinced the race management “that they had to let Pérez get out to check something in the seat or in the cockpit for safety reasons, and that they always expected him to return to the track.”
It is likely that there has been communication between the FIA and Red Bull. Otherwise, the sports commissioners would probably give Pérez the same punishment as Qatar – most likely a three-place relegation.
The FIA has already made it known that it will not want to change the rules because of this minor “farce” (the paragraph mentioned above). But the initiative can also come from the teams. We’ll see…
2023-09-24 09:11:15
#wedgedin #paragraph #rules #Pérez #withdrew #race
