Sergio Perez, from Red Bull Racing, was penalized for obstructing Nico Hulkenberg during the qualifying session of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. As a result, Perez will be moved three positions down on the starting grid for the race. The incident occurred at Turn 13, when Hulkenberg found Perez moving slowly, causing him to slow down and deviate from the racing line. The stewards reviewed the video evidence and heard statements from both drivers and their teams before making their decision. Although Perez was not warned about Hulkenberg’s approach, it was determined that he unnecessarily obstructed the Haas driver. Consequently, Perez will now start the race from sixth position, while Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri will move up the grid.
The stewards’ decision stated that Hulkenberg was on a fast lap when he approached Turn 13. Perez, who was on an out lap, was positioned at the apex of the corner, forcing Hulkenberg to deviate from the racing line. This caused Hulkenberg to lift off the throttle and brake early for the corner. Audio from Perez’s car revealed that his team only alerted him to Hulkenberg’s presence one second before he arrived, which was too late to avoid the obstruction. Although the stewards acknowledged the difficult situation faced by the team and driver during Q1, they concluded that Perez’s actions were unnecessary and issued a three-place grid penalty, in line with previous cases.
In a separate incident, Pierre Gasly from Alpine received a reprimand for crossing the pit lane exit line during the first part of qualifying. Gasly crossed the yellow line when entering the track from the pit lane in Q1. However, the stewards determined that this action was not dangerous and therefore did not warrant a grid penalty. This is Gasly’s first reprimand of the season. Unfortunately, Gasly was unable to advance beyond Q1 for the third consecutive weekend, finishing in 17th place.
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