Although Sergio Perez has had a great start to the 2024 season, the Mexican player may soon face an unpleasant surprise.
With eight points earned in the last 12 months, Red Bull star Sergio Perez is the driver most likely to accrue 12 penalty points and face a one-race suspension. Logan Sargeant, a Williams star, is also included in the same total.
With four podium finishes in the first five races of the 2024 season, Perez has had an excellent start to the season and is now within striking distance of teammate and current world champion Max Verstappen going into the Miami Grand Prix.
Although no F1 driver has yet to accrue enough penalty points in a 12-month period to receive a race ban, some drivers are now getting closer to that ignominious outcome following the dramatic 11-point distribution at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll is a recent addition to the top three, while Perez and Sargeant have secured the first two spots. After crashing with Daniel Ricciardo beneath the safety car in Shanghai, the Canadian racer received a ten-second time penalty, making it seven for the season.
The Aston Martin driver was not persuaded that Stroll was at fault for the collision, even after harshly criticizing his lack of focus following the race. Instead, he blamed drivers further forward for creating a concertina effect at the turn six hairpin.
After the Chinese GP, he commented, “I got a penalty because of the end result that I hit Ricciardo, but it’s not like everything was normal and I just slammed into the back of him.” “There was a really odd concertina effect that I would have liked to see the stewards take into consideration maybe a little bit more.”Everyone stops when someone brakes in front of the group. The following car abruptly stopped from sixty to zero. It was just one of those dumb moments. I was just incredibly unlucky to be in his gearbox, ready for the restart. It’s unfortunate because we were enjoying the race at the time.”
Stroll’s Aston Martin teammate is the only other driver with 50% or more of the 12 penalty points needed for a ban. Although Fernando Alonso had a perfect start to the season, he has now picked up six points from his involvement in George Russell’s Melbourne crash and his contact with Carlos Sainz during the Shanghai sprint race.
After the first five races, seven drivers—including those from Ferrari, McLaren, and Alpine—have a completely clear slate. The second anomaly is Alex Albon, whose 2024 campaign has begun very differently than teammate Sargeant’s.
