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Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has voiced his frustration over what he deems to be unjust penalties for track limit violations during the Qatar GP.
Perez, who started from the pit lane following a sprint race crash, found himself on the receiving end of three five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits during the race, ultimately impacting his finishing position.
Despite a commendable effort to climb up the ranks, the penalties proved costly for Perez, relegating him to a 10th-place finish, behind Zhou Guanyu.
The Mexican driver expressed his difficulty in discerning the new track limits, asserting that the last-minute alterations were ill-advised. Speaking to Motorsport.com, he said:
"It was, for me, impossible to see."
Sergio Perez continued:
"I was taking so much margin, giving up so much lap time for it but I still got more. For me, it was very difficult to judge, but there were drivers who were able to do that, so I don’t think I did a good enough job in that regard."
Perez's discontent extends to the eleventh-hour decision to enforce these changes. He criticized the sudden implementation of penalties, emphasizing the need for a more structured approach to track limit enforcement.
"It was a joke what we ended up doing with the track limits. First of all, I think that it is really bad that we come up with a solution last minute to police it. Then to start giving penalties away," Perez lamented.
Sergio Perez's F1 future: Will the Mexican continue with Red Bull?
The recent series of races has sparked speculations surrounding the 33-year-old's future with Red Bull Racing.
Following Helmut Marko's comments on the situation surrounding Perez's future, rumors have been circulating within the F1 community, which suggest that the higher-ups at Red Bull may not be entirely satisfied with the 33-year-old. This could potentially be signaling the end of his tenure with the team after this season.
With teammate Max Verstappen securing the World Championship title with an astonishing six races still to go, Perez now finds himself in a battle for the runners-up spot.
Presently, he holds firm the second position in the F1 drivers' championship over the Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, a spot that the Mexican would be keen to hold onto in the final five races of the season.
