Sergio Perez received a penalty point for his involvement in the incident that occurred during the race in Saudi Arabia, which brings him closer to being banned from future races. Several drivers were penalized during the event, and Perez was specifically penalized for an unsafe release in the pit lane area. This release almost resulted in a collision with another driver, Fernando Alonso, during a safety car period after an accident.
Perez made an early pit stop to change his tires, a decision shared by several drivers. The Red Bull team, for which Perez races, opted for a double pit stop for both of their drivers. However, in the rush of the double pit stop, Perez was released from the pit lane area in an unsafe manner and came dangerously close to colliding with Alonso’s Aston Martin.
The incident did not go unnoticed, as the race stewards acted immediately. Perez received a five-second penalty for the unsafe release. The pit lane signal showed a red light, signaling that it was unsafe to proceed, but Perez took the risk anyway. Despite the penalty, Perez maintained his position in the race and opened up a ten-second gap over the driver in third place.
As a result of the incident, Sergio Perez received a penalty point during the Saudi Arabia GP. In the last ten races, Perez has accumulated a total of eight penalty points, starting from the Singapore GP. If he receives four more penalty points in the next races, he could face a one-race suspension in the 2024 season. To avoid this, Perez will need to be more cautious and avoid any additional penalties to have a chance against his competitors.
Perez expresó sus pensamientos sobre recibir las penalidades, reconociendo que Fernando Alonso tuvo que tomar medidas evasivas para evitar un accidente que podría haber afectado las carreras de ambos pilotos. Perez describió como «una pena» recibir la penalidad, pero se sintió aliviado de que no impactara significativamente en su carrera, siendo solo una penalidad de cinco segundos.
Perez mencionó que estaba muy cerca del holandés (refiriéndose a Max Verstappen) antes de la parada en boxes. La presencia de otros pilotos también parando al mismo tiempo obligó a Perez a salir rápidamente de los boxes. Para evitar incidentes similares en el futuro, Perez pidió una zona de boxes más grande.
A pesar de clasificarse en tercer lugar, Sergio Perez terminó la carrera en segundo lugar. Esta fuerte actuación de Red Bull al inicio de la temporada sugiere el potencial de repetir su dominante desempeño en 2023. El equipo ahora está enfocado en lograr excelentes resultados en el próximo GP de Australia.
