12 March 2024 , 09:07
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Sergio Perez moved closer to an historic Formula 1 race ban after incurring the wrath of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stewards.
The Mexican finished the race second behind team-mate Max Verstappen as Red Bull continued their dominant start to the new season. That was despite a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane during the 50-lap contest.
After a tyre change, and despite being shown a red light by his colleagues, Perez pulled out into the fast lane of the pits directly in front of Fernando Alonso. The stewards deemed it an unsafe manoeuvre and the Red Bull driver was duly punished.
The time penalty proved to be inconsequential as Perez finished comfortably ahead of third-placed Charles Leclerc on the road. But the penalty point he picked up as a result of the incident will be more of a concern.
Drivers who pick up 12 penalty points within a 12-month period are handed an automatic one-race ban. It is a punishment that no F1 driver has ever triggered, though some have come close.
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Perez is now just four points away from that number thanks to his latest run-in with the stewards. To make matters worse, the eight points currently on his licence have all been picked up since the Singapore Grand Prix last September, meaning they will not expire for much of the season.
The 34-year-old must negotiate the next 15 rounds without picking up more than three more penalty points. Significant breathing room will come if he can reach September 24 without triggering the ban, as that is the date the four points he picked up in Japan last year will expire.
Initially, Perez was dismissive of the incident and insisted the track simply "needs a wider pit lane". But he later admitted responsibility as he explained why he had set off despite being told to wait by colleagues.
He said: "We were compromised with such an early safety car and that meant that basically everyone just pitted. When I was going out, it was actually my mistake, because I was told by the team to hold back. But I looked on the right and there was nobody there when I looked.
"In hindsight, I think the penalty was correct and that pretty much compromised our race. I saw that I didn't have the proper release, but I didn't see anyone [coming]. Sometimes the team can be a little bit slower than you in the car. But this time was the other way around, so, my bad in that one. But still, happily, it didn't change our race."