Sergio Perez’s Unnoticed Jumpstart From Jeddah Gets Exposed Which Was Overshadowed by Lando Norris’ Similar Mistake

Coming into Saudi Arabia, McLaren knew where it stood in comparison to its rivals – a tad ahead compared to Bahrain. But what made the headlines was Lando Norris’ jumpstart from P6, which the FIA surprisingly termed legal. A lot of questions arose around it but FIA’s decision put them to rest. All this while, what went unnoticed was Sergio Perez‘s similar mistake–a rolling jumpstart that gave him a boost from P2.

George Russell, who started in P7, was the first to point out Norris’ mistake on his team radio. But to no avail. FIA’s questionable decision to let Lando Norris go scot-free despite an obvious jumpstart was the talk of the weekend. And it entirely overshadowed Sergio Perez’s jumpstart. In Jolyon Palmer‘s latest F1TV analysis, the Red Bull racer can be seen engaging 1st gear as the 1st red light appears. And he kept rolling forward a bit within his grid box before the lights went out.

Palmer said in his analysis on F1TV, “He’s actually rolling forward which you are not allowed to do. You have to be stationary and then Checo gets a great launch. That, in theory, is also a jumpstart from Perez which went unnoticed, though it was within FIA tolerance. In lower levels, you’ll have a marshall standing on the track, and they’ll spot a car moving and he might get done for that. Strange in Formula 1 that you can have a car rolling forward, getting that Inertia rolling before you drop the clutch.”

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Sergio Perez could face some questioning from the FIA if a rival team lodges a complaint based on this F1TV footage. Even if this does not escalate, the Mexican racer could still be on the receiving end of a race ban.

Sergio Perez inches closer to F1 race ban after Saudi Arabian GP penalty

The stewards investigated Sergio Perez at the Saudi Arabian GP for an unsafe release in the pits. Fernando Alonso, who was approaching his pit box, had to brake as a result to avoid collision. This led to the Red Bull driver getting a 5-second penalty. While he did accept his mistake later, he was slapped with 1 penalty point on his super license.

This penalty point puts his tally at 8. Any driver who gets 12 points within a 12-month period faces a 1-race ban. Perez is now only 4 points away from activating the penalty. As his 12-month period will end in September, the Mexican needs to tread cautiously for the next 15 races.

Read More: Helmut Marko Will Decide Sergio Perez’s Future “After Summer Break” While Carlos Sainz Eyes Earlier Finalization

As if the rumors of him getting replaced at Red Bull in 2024 weren’t enough. The Guadalajara-born racer is surely having a tough time, in one way or another.