Perez suffered a disastrous Japanese GP, colliding with other drivers

Sergio Perez received a slew of penalty points to add salt to his wounds during a terrible Japanese Grand Prix.

The Mexican started sixth and was within sight of the podium. But everything that could have gone wrong did, beginning with a first-lap collision with Lewis Hamilton, which damaged his front wing.

At the end of the first lap, he went into the pits for a replacement. But it wasn’t long until he collided with Kevin Magnussen and needed a third before quitting from the race due to two separate penalties.

To make matters worse, Perez has come closer to a racing ban as a result of this. On Sunday, the Red Bull racer received four penalty points on his license, bringing his total to seven.

Drivers must not accumulate 12 penalty points in a 12-month period or face a racing ban. No Formula One driver has ever been sanctioned in this manner, though a couple have come close.

Perez still has some wiggle room in that department. However, he may need to be cautious for the rest of the season to ensure he is not walking a tightrope.

“It was just a disastrous weekend,” the Mexican remarked of his day. It all started with a terribly terrible start in turn one, and I was pressed down until I was just a passenger in a sandwich. “I believe we had a lot of damage in the car as well, which just added to it.”

He was the race’s second retiree. His team, however, chose to bring him back out on track later in the race after requesting and receiving permission from the FIA to do so.

At the moment, Perez was more nearly 20 laps down and had no chance of gaining any points. However, considering the penalty hanging over his head, the team’s decision was made with the future in mind.

If a driver fails not serve a time penalty in a race, the stewards have the authority to impose a grid penalty for the following event, according to the rules. To avoid this, Red Bull took advantage of a loophole in the rules that allowed them to’serve’ the penalty in Suzuka, ensuring that their Qatar Grand Prix preparations were not jeopardized.