Sergio Perez, a Red Bull driver, has had a great start to the season with two podium results, but he needs to exercise caution following his unnecessary penalty point on his F1 license at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
After angering the stewards of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez got closer to a historic race ban in Formula 1.
Red Bull maintained their unbeaten start to the 2017 season as the Mexican finished the race in second place behind teammate Max Verstappen. This was in spite of receiving a five-second time penalty for an unwise pit lane release that occurred during the 50-lap race.
Perez changed his tires and, in spite of his teammates’ red signal, he pulled into the pits’ fast lane right in front of Fernando Alonso. Since the stewards considered it a risky move, the Red Bull driver received the appropriate discipline.
The time penalty was insignificant since Perez easily outran Charles Leclerc, who was in third place, during the road race. What should worry us more, though, is the penalty point he received for the incident.
If a driver accrues 12 penalty points in a calendar year, they will automatically be banned from one race. No Formula One driver has ever experienced this penalty, though a few have come very close.
Perez’s most recent encounter with the stewards has brought him only four points shy of that total. The eight points he presently has on his license were all earned since the Singapore Grand Prix in September of last year, which means they won’t expire for a long time. This exacerbates the situation.
Without accruing more than three more penalty points, the 34-year-old must make it through the next 15 rounds. If he can make it until September 24 without being banned, he will have a lot of breathing room because that’s when the four points he earned in Japan last year expire.
