Red Bull chief fumes over Spanish GP penalty amid Lewis Hamilton hypocrisy

22 June 2024 , 13:43

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Sergio Perez drove his Red Bull with significant damage to the rear wing in Montreal (Image: Sky Sports)

Helmut Marko feels a grid penalty for Sergio Perez at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix was "too harsh".

Wherever Perez qualified in Barcelona, he will start the race from three grid slots further back as a result of the penalty given to him after the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago. That punishment was handed out after he lost control of his Red Bull and damaged his rear wing significantly.

Instead of pulling off the track, Perez's team told him to make it back to the pits because they did not want to jeopardise Max Verstappen who was leading the race. He obeyed that order, but the stewards felt it was dangerous and so fined the team and gave the Mexican a sporting penalty.

Red Bull adviser Marko felt Perez was hard done-by. In his Speedweek column, he wrote: "Three places back for Pérez on the Spanish grid because he brought his damaged car into the pits instead of putting it aside in Montreal. I think that's too harsh a punishment, because in a race with changeover conditions you have to bring your racing car back, especially when it's not immediately clear what the damage looks like.

"Perez's rear-view mirrors were dirty and he couldn't see what the rear looked like. We, on the other hand, could see from the data that the suspension was okay, so of course we try to bring the car back and, ideally, be able to fight for points again. The race stewards then announced that parts of his car had fallen off."

Inside the driver call which upset Red Bull and changed the course of F1 history

It is against the sporting regulations for a car to run on track when it is un an unsafe condition. Often, cars with parts hanging off them are told to pit or pull over if there are deemed to be a potential danger to other drivers or fans.

But sometimes cars are still able to finish races even when they have damage. Lewis Hamilton famously won the 2020 British Grand Prix despite completing much of the last lap on just three tyres after one had picked up a puncture.

Lewis Hamilton won the 2020 British Grand Prix with a damaged Mercedes (Pool via REUTERS)

Marko pointed to that example as he appeared to suggest double standards from F1 officials. He wrote: "I remember Lewis Hamilton once crossing the finish line on three wheels at Silverstone and winning. Strange, there was no penalty then."

Explaining the decision to punish Perez in Canada, the stewards wrote in an official FIA document: "After making contact with the barriers in turn six, the driver continued on track for the remainder of the lap with a significantly damaged car and thereby lost several carbon fibre parts on the way back to the pits.

"The team confirmed in the hearing that the driver had been advised to bring the car back to the pits as they were trying to avoid a safety car situation. The stewards determine that, as well as a financial penalty for the team, a sporting penalty is necessary due to the safety implications of the incident. The penalty is imposed in line with precedents."

Daniel Moxon