During a race in Montreal on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Perez crashed into the barriers on Turn 6. He was using slick tires on a wet part of the track, causing him to lose control. His car’s rear wing got badly damaged when he hit the wall.
Even though his car was damaged, his team asked him to drive back to the pits slowly. While he was driving back, more parts fell off his car. Race officials investigated if Red Bull broke the rules by leaving the car in a dangerous condition.
The officials found Perez and Red Bull guilty of breaking the rules. They gave Perez a penalty for the next race in Barcelona. Red Bull also had to pay a fine of 25,000 euros.
During the investigation, Red Bull admitted that they told Perez to stay out on the track to avoid a safety car. If Perez had stopped his car immediately, it could have affected his teammate Max Verstappen’s lead in the race.
The officials explained their decision, saying, “After Perez hit the barriers, he kept driving with a damaged car, dropping parts on the track on his way back to the pits. Red Bull confirmed they asked Perez to return to the pits to avoid a safety car. Because of the safety concerns, we decided on the penalty.”
This penalty was another setback for Perez after a tough weekend in Canada. He had a bad qualifying and started the race in 16th place. But before his crash, he had moved up to 13th place and was hoping for a top-10 finish.
