Sergio Perez expressed his frustration and called for a penalty against Lewis Hamilton during the qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix, as the Red Bull driver believed he was obstructed by his Mercedes counterpart.
The Formula 1 stewards have imposed a penalty on Lewis Hamilton following Sergio Perez’s allegations of obstruction.
The event took place in the first quarter of the year on a Saturday while Perez was completing a flying lap. He encountered Hamilton’s sluggish Mercedes, which was attempting to move aside but inadvertently caused Perez to reduce his speed.
Frustrated, Perez expressed his anger over the radio, insisting that Hamilton should face penalties for his behavior. Although Hamilton downplayed the situation in his own radio message, he later acknowledged that it wasn’t one of his best moments after the session concluded.
Following a qualification time that placed him only 12th, the seven-time Formula 1 champion appeared despondent as he contemplated a disappointing day. He remarked, “It was a rather surprising session. However, such occurrences are part of the sport – it is now behind us. It certainly does not feel pleasant.
“Everything began to deteriorate from the instant the incident with Perez occurred. I made every effort to move aside, positioning myself as far to the left as I could, but the timing was unfortunate. It likely initiated a domino effect from that point onward, leading to a series of escalating issues.”
Race control observed the incident during the event, and once qualifying concluded, it was announced that the stewards would look into the matter. Both Hamilton and Perez were summoned to the circuit offices to present their accounts of what happened.
After reviewing all the evidence, the stewards determined that Hamilton would face a penalty. They concluded that he had “unnecessarily impeded” Perez, resulting in a three-place grid drop for the upcoming Zandvoort race, which means Hamilton will begin the race from 15th position on the grid.
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