Sergio Perez has been formally warned of a penalty after hurling abuse over the radio after the F1 GP in Abu Dhabi.
At the end of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Red Bull’s Perez came back to life and started setting fast times, catching up with the drivers in front of him and securing a podium spot. To get behind Max Verstappen, he had to pass the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris.
In fact, he overtook all third places with the help of Leclerc, but a fifth penalty dropped him to fourth behind Leclerc and Russell. Norris made contact when passing him on a left curve, resulting in a penalty.
Norris was on the outside and Perez took the inside line. Both looked a bit awkward at the moment, with the Brit taking the lead into the corner despite having space on the outside, while the Mexican took a tight line and ended up with light contact.
Although it appeared to be a racing accident, stewards believed Perez was the culprit. “When the driver of car No. 11 arrived at Turn 6, he dived late and missed the apex of the turn, colliding with car No. 4, even though car No. 11 was next to car No. 4,” Stewards said.
Perez has earned seven penalty points in the last 12 months and is five points away from being suspended. Angered by the penalty, the Mexican vented his anger on the radio, which eventually came to the attention of the FIA commissioner, who declared it a violation of the International Sporting Code.
“I mean, the stewards are a joke,” Perez said on the radio. “I can’t believe it. I mean this year has been really bad, but this is a joke. It really was a joke. I can’t believe we’re getting fined for this.”
Race engineer and Red Bull boss Christian Horner described it as a race incident, but Perez added: That’s Formula 1 level. ”
When Perez entered the pits, he asked his team, “Who was the race steward today?”, but they didn’t have a name. Stewards for the Abu Dhabi GP were Garry Connelly, Mathieu Lemery, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Mohamed Alhashmi.
The sports commissioner ultimately admonished him for his comments, which acknowledged the disagreement but not the personal insult. Stewards noted that Mr. Perez apologized to each member and that members agreed that Mr. Perez had acted respectfully throughout.
They discussed the radio broadcast and then the FIA agreed to have further discussions about it. “The stewards spoke to the driver of car No. 11 (Sergio Perez) and the team principal and checked the team radio,” the stewards said. “The stewards explained to the drivers that it was OK for people to disagree with their decisions, but that any comments that amounted to personal insults would be a violation of international sports law.
“Stewards are clearly conflicted on the matter as it was the subject of a radio statement, noting that it would normally be referred to the next stewards committee. The problem is obvious because it’s an event.” This is where it needed to be addressed. The drivers sincerely apologized to each of the stewards, explaining that they had made their comments in the heat of the moment, without considering that they would be broadcast or the impact they would have.
“He expressed regret that his comments had hurt anyone or damaged the sport, but said he wanted to avoid that. Stewards accepted his statement and issued an apology. I accept. Stewards also pointed out that drivers were not known to make such comments and had always behaved in an extremely respectful manner at stewards’ hearings. Stewards were also reminded that they are always available to explain their decisions if requested.
“Drivers, team managers and stewards had a constructive discussion regarding the use and dissemination of team radio messages. The incident itself was also discussed in detail with the drivers, and although they still did not agree with the decision. He said he understood the stewards’ views on the incident.”
The FIA notice is: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Violations – Car No. 11 – Team Radio Communications.pdf
The incident is as follows: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/video.2023-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-perez-picks-up-penalty-for-contact- with-norris. 1783638695201343621.html
Here’s how F1 Abu Dhabi GP panned out
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