Sergio Perez breaks silence on penalty incident with Fernando Alonso at Saudi Arabian GP: “Pretty much compromised our race”

The 2024 season kicked off on a positive note for both Red Bull drivers, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Verstappen, maintaining his dominance as usual, led the pack in every race, while Perez showed significant improvement since the previous season, evident in his recent performances.

However, during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Mexican driver made a critical error involving Fernando Alonso that resulted in a penalty, jeopardizing his position in the race.

What happened between Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso?

Initially, Sergio Perez had an incredible start at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix while he took the P3 position on the grid. He had also set his mind to overtake Charles Leclerc’s second place in the opening lap. Despite failing in the first attempt, Checo had eventually managed to surpass Leclerc on Lap 4.

However, things took an unfortunate turn for the Mexican driver as Red Bull decided to double-stack both him and Verstappen during pit stops, which was initiated by a Safety Car deployment due to Lance Stroll’s crash into the barriers.

While leaving his pit box, Perez almost collided with the Spanish driver Fernando Alonso due to almost blocking his path during the race. As a result, the 34-year-old was imposed by a 5-second penalty. Despite all the challenges and hurdles faced while driving, he still secured the second position, exclusively impressing several F1 individuals and enthusiasts watching the event.

Sergio Perez sheds light on Saudi Arabian GP incident

Sergio Perez has admitted that it was a huge mistake committed by him for an unsafe release which could have serious consequences if not executed properly.

Reflecting on his performance, Checo stated, “I had a good start. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep ahead of Charles because he kept it there and obviously I gave him the space into Turn 2 and it was his corner in Turn 4, so that was a nice start, [a] good start once again.”

“When I was going out it was actually my mistake because I was told by the team to hold it back, but in hindsight there I looked on the right and there was nobody there when I looked. In hindsight I think the penalty was correct and that pretty much compromised our race.”

He has also asserted that he could have achieved better results in P2 if the 5-second penalty fiasco had not occurred.

Do you think Sergio Perez could have easily avoided the incident? Let us know about your opinions in the comment section below.