FIA sanctions Checo Pérez for engine change
Due to the change of engine in his car for the fifth time this Formula 1 season, FIA decided to impose a punishment on Red Bull driver Checo Perez.
At the Austin Grand Prix in the United States, free practices were held where the Red Bull team made the decision to change the engine of Sergio Pérez’s single-seater, a movement that caused the Mexican Formula One driver to be sanctioned.
It was the fifth time this season that the team decided to change the Mexican’s power unit, but the International Automobile Federation (FIA) only allows three new engines to be used in a single season, for which he was given five penalty places.
Perez in a battle for second place
That is why Perez will go back five places on the grid from Saturday’s qualifying position. He will have an arduous task because he is still fighting for second place against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, after his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen secured the World Championship after his performance in the Japanese GP.
During the day of free practice, Pérez finished in fifth position, behind Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll. With his car’s new power unit, he made a time of 1:37:515 in his best lap.
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Perez is at second place in the drivers’ standings, only one point ahead of Leclerc, with four races to go this year. As for the constructors’ championship, Red Bull leads with 619 points against 454 from Ferrari, its main competitor.