F1 race ban looms for Red Bull star as heavy punishment given after Japanese GP

24 September 2023 , 10:19

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Sergio Perez speaking after his truncated race at Suzuka (Image: Sky Sports)

Sergio Perez picked up a heap of penalty points to rubs salt in his wounds after a nightmarish Japanese Grand Prix.

The Mexican started fifth and in touching distance of the podium. But everything that could have gone wrong did, starting when he collided with Lewis Hamilton at the very start and damaged his front wing.

Into the pits he went at the end of the first lap for a replacement. But it wasn't long after that he slammed into Kevin Magnussen and needed a third, before retiring from the race completely after picking up two separate penalties.

To make matters worse, Perez has moved closer to a the threat of a race ban as a result. The Red Bull racer picked up four penalty points on his licence on Sunday, moving him to seven in total.

Drivers must not amass 12 penalty points in a 12-month period, otherwise they will be given a race ban. No Formula 1 driver has ever triggered such a sanction, though a few have come close.

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Perez still has some breathing room in that regard. But he may have to be careful for the rest of this season to make sure he is not walking a tightrope.

Reacting to his day, the Mexican said: "It was just a disastrous weekend. It all started into turn one with a really bad start and I was squeezed down and I was just a passenger then in a sandwich. I think we carried a lot of damage in the car as well and that just made it a lot harder for us."

He was the second retiree of the race. Curiously, though, his team opted to bring him back out on track later in the race, having requested and received permission from the FIA to do so.

Perez was more than 20 laps down at the time and had no hope of scoring any points. But the team's decision was made with the future in mind, given that there was a penalty hanging over his head.

The regulations state that the stewards can impose a grid penalty for the following event if a driver does not serve a time penalty in a race. So to head off the threat of that, Red Bull exploited a hole in the rules allowing them to 'serve' that penalty at Suzuka to make sure their Qatar Grand Prix plans are not affected.

Daniel Moxon