Red Bull Racing announced a two-year extension contract deal with Sergio Perez earlier this month, only to see Checo fall off the cliff at the Canada Grand Prix. The Mexican driver’s qualifying woes were exposed once again as he crashed out in Q1 and unfortunately faced a DNF in the main rain.
To make matters worse, Sergio Perez has been handed a three-place grid penalty for driving unsafely with a broken rear wing in Montreal. Meanwhile, F1 pundit Jan Lammers broke down the chaos and accused Red Bull of purposely trying to protect Checo from criticism even as he nearly destroyed Max Verstappen’s race.
Sergio Perez Called Out For Costly Mistake In Montreal
Sergio Perez has been nothing but a menace to Red Bull. Yet, he got rewarded with a two-year extension contract earlier this month, citing the need for stability in the driver lineup. However, Checo exposed himself in Montreal during the Canada Grand Prix as he botched not only his qualifying session but also the main race. The Mexican driver started his race from the back of the grid as he crashed out in Q1 on Saturday. In what turned out to be a disaster, Checo crashed during the final laps of the race, and to purposely avoid a safety car to protect Max Verstappen’s lead, RB advised Checo to drive back to the pit lane with a broken rear wing, which was obviously a safety violation.
Hence, FIA punished Sergio Perez with a three-place grid penalty, which he will be serving in the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. That being said, F1 pundit Jan Lammers accused Red Bull of protecting Checo too much from criticism. He said that the team brushed Perez’s mistakes in Montreal off the rug despite him almost ruining Max Verstappen’s winning lead. “Red Bull is still saving him a bit because otherwise, he will go through Mexico tarred and feathered, of course,” Lammers said on the NOS F1 podcast. Jan added that if a safety car had been enforced, Verstappen would have indeed lost his lead to Lando Norris as McLaren’s tyre temperature controls are better than those of the drink-based outfit. Not only that, Checo’s DNF has cost RB 25 points in the constructors championship, which could prove costly given the rising competition from McLaren and Ferrari.
Red Bull Admits Trying To Manipulate Canada GP Results
Red Bull Racing have been fined $26,000 for manipulating rules to influence Canada Grand Prix results into their favour. The drink based outfit were charged with purposely trying to avoid a safety car whilst compromising on safety measure to protect Max Verstappen’s provisional lead.
As FIA called Red Bull officials for investigation, the team accepted the charges and was slapped with a hefty fine. Additionally, Sergio Perez, who drove unsafely with a broken rear wing, was handed a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix scheduled in Barcelona this month. Perez’s penalty will further cost RB crucial points in the constructors’ title as the race for the championship heats up.
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