Red Bull is finding new ways to astonish and puzzle Formula 1 fans and the FIA itself. At the Japanese GP, Max Verstappen cruised to a comfortable victory. However, behind him, Sergio Perez had a very difficult race. In fact, he had such a terrible race that he retired from the race twice. Why did Red Bull do it? How did they pull it off?
Sergio Perez’s Penalty
Sergio Perez had an inauspicious start to the Japanese GP. He had qualified pretty low by Red Bull standards. At the start, he says he found himself sandwiched between cars. However, some may say he was the one doing the damage.
The real damage came when Sergio Perez came into the pits to change his front wing under Safety Car conditions. He accidentally overtook a car before the pit entry, which is a slam dunk penalty in Formula 1. He got a 5-second penalty soon after.
An early pitstop left Sergio Perez fighting lower down the order as his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen continued to lead the Japanese GP. He made a desperate lunge on Kevin Magnussen and damaged his car further. He then retired the car as he felt the damage was too much.
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Why did Red Bull send him out again?
Like every dominant era in Formula 1, Red Bull are on top of their game in all aspects. There is a law in Formula 1 that stipulates what is done if a driver retires without serving their penalty. In that scenario, the driver becomes eligible for a grid-drop in the next race, which is a huge deal.
Therefore, Red Bull didn’t want to take that risk with Sergio Perez. 26 laps after he retired from the Japanese GP, they sent him out again just to serve his penalty. Therefore, he now goes into Qatar with a clean slate.
How did they pull it off?
The laws in Formula 1 do not define the official retirement of a car. If a driver doesn’t finish 90% of the race distance, he is not classified. That’s about it. Therefore, Red Bull took advantage of this loophole and sent Sergio Perez out again.
Also Read: Max Verstappen Wins Japanese GP as Red Bull secure 6th Constructors’ Title
This was so bizarre that when Charles Leclerc saw a slow-moving Red Bull on track, he thought it was Max Verstappen. The FIA and Formula 1 will hope to tighten the regulations so something like this doesn’t happen again.
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