P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Perez escapes second Qatar pre-race penalty
The Formula 1 stewards have provided an explanation regarding Sergio Perez’s avoidance of a 10-second time penalty prior to the Qatar Grand Prix due to his chassis change. During the Sprint race, stewards determined that Perez’s Chassis 01 was irreparably damaged, prompting the team to begin assembling Chassis 02 in order to have a third car available – a violation of the regulations. In a similar incident involving Williams in Japan, a breach of this rule resulted in a pit-lane start and an additional 10-second time penalty for Logan Sargeant. Despite starting from the pit-lane due to the chassis change and later a complete power unit change, Perez was not subject to the same penalty as Sargeant. The team disassembled the car to the point that it was deemed no longer a car under Article 27.2 of the Sporting Regulations, with the disassembled parts and survival cell appropriately covered in line with Article 40.6. Only then did Red Bull proceed to build up Chassis 02 for Perez, thus adhering to the rule of not having more than two active cars ready. The construction of Chassis 02 was executed without FIA supervision, and alterations to the parts necessitated the pit-lane start. Consequently, no additional penalty was imposed on Perez by the stewards; however, they did acknowledge that Red Bull’s interpretation of the rules may not fully align with the intention of the regulations, recommending further discussion within the Sporting Advisory Committee.
Source: RacingNews 365
