Sergio Perez has been given a formal warning for calling the stewards “a joke” for penalizing him in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Mexican collided with Lando Norris at Turn 6 and was given a 5s time penalty, with the stewards deciding that he “dived in late, missed the apex of the corner and understeered towards the outside of the corner.” Perez went on to finish second on the road after Charles Leclerc slowed to let him past, but was demoted to fourth by the penalty and showed his anger on team radio after the checkered flag.
“The stewards are a joke, man,” Perez said. “I cannot believe [it]. They have been very bad this year, but this is a joke. That was really a joke.”
Perez was summoned for his comments as they amounted to misconduct towards officials, with the stewards then giving him a formal warning having acknowledged the conflicting position they found themselves in when ruling on the outburst.
“The stewards explained to the driver that they had no issue with someone disagreeing with their decisions, however comments that amount to personal insults are a breach of the International Sporting Code,” the decision read.
“The stewards note that they are obviously conflicted in this matter as they were the subject of the radio statements and that normally this would be referred to the next panel of stewards, however, as this is the final event of the season, the matter needed to be dealt with here.
“The driver made a genuine and sincere apology to each of the stewards and explained that he made the comments in the heat of the moment and did not consider the fact that they would be broadcast, and the impact of that. He expressed his regret that his comments caused offence to anyone or harm to the sport, which he said he was concerned to avoid. The stewards accept his statements and accept his apology.
“The stewards also note that the driver is not known for making such comments and has always been extremely respectful in stewards hearings. He was also reminded that the stewards are always available to explain their decisions when requested by a driver or team representative.
“The driver, team manager and the stewards had a constructive discussion about the use and broadcast of team radio messages. The incident itself was also reviewed in detail with the driver and, although he still disagreed with the decision, he stated he could understand the stewards’ perspective of the incident.”
Perez now has seven penalty points on his license for the 12-month period as a result of his latest penalty.
