Sergio Perez faces a grid penalty at the Australian Grand Prix, dropping from third to sixth place after impeding Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying.
Sergio Perez lost his third-place start for the Australian Grand Prix after receiving a grid penalty.
The Mexican was under investigation after impeding Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying at Albert Park.
Perez advanced to Q3, the final qualifying segment, clocking the third fastest time to secure his best Saturday result… since Belgium last year!
However, a three-place grid penalty relegated him to sixth, allowing Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri to each move up a position.
The stewards’ verdict read: “Hülkenberg was on a fast lap approaching turn 13.”
“Perez, on an out lap, was inside the turn, and Hülkenberg had to leave the racing line to pass him.”
“Hülkenberg was forced to lift off earlier and brake early for the turn.”
“Reviewing Perez’s car audio, the stewards noted the team was focused on the car in front of Perez, which had just slowed, and only warned Perez about Hülkenberg being behind him a second before Hülkenberg’s arrival, significantly too late to avoid impeding Hülkenberg.”
“While the stewards appreciate the dynamic situation the team and driver face during Q1, as described during the hearing, the stewards believe Perez ‘unnecessarily impeded’ Hülkenberg and have imposed a three-place grid loss, in line with similar judgments in past cases.”
The updated starting grid for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix in Formula 1:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:16.819 | 1:16.387 | 1:15.915 | — |
| 02 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:16.731 | 1:16.189 | 1:16.185 | — |
| 03 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:17.430 | 1:16.750 | 1:16.315 | — |
| 04 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:16.984 | 1:16.304 | 1:16.435 | — |
| 05 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:17.369 | 1:16.601 | 1:16.572 | — |
| 06 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:16.805 | 1:16.631 | 1:16.274 | +3 |
| 07 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.062 | 1:16.901 | 1:16.724 | — |
| 08 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:17.356 | 1:16.791 | 1:16.788 | — |
| 09 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:17.376 | 1:16.780 | 1:17.072 | — |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:16.991 | 1:16.710 | 1:17.552 | — |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.499 | 1:16.960 | — | |
| 12 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:17.130 | 1:17.167 | — | |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:17.543 | 1:17.340 | — | |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.709 | 1:17.427 | — | |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:17.617 | 1:17.697 | — | |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.976 | — | ||
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:17.982 | — | ||
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:18.085 | — | ||
| 19 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:18.188 | — |
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Perez Penalized, Drops to 6th in Australian GP. Perez Penalized, Drops to 6th in Australian GP
