Was Red Bull’s punishment for the Perez incident too lenient?

Red Bull was fined €25,000 for instructing Sergio Perez to bring his RB20 back to the pits in an unsafe condition during the Canadian Grand Prix as he tried to avoid the safety car.

Max Verstappen was leading the Montreal race when Perez found the barrier at Turn 6 on lap 52 of 70. Since the Mexican driver’s rear wing was critically damaged, it was customary for him to park his Red Bull and abandon it.

However, as the Gilles Villeneuve circuit is a temporary circuit and lacks sufficient exit and rest areas, this would almost certainly result in a safety car being called.

The team therefore instructed Perez to put his RB20 in the garage, much to the ire of the stewards.

This led to a three-place grid penalty for the 34-year-old in the next round, the Spanish Grand Prix, for driving in a dangerous condition. Recent Racing News365 The poll found that almost half of F1 fans thought the punishment was too harsh.

Meanwhile, Red Bull avoided further significant sanctions apart from a fine, even though the official decisions document said: “The team confirmed during the hearing that the driver was advised to bring his car back to the pits as he was trying to avoid a collision. Safety car situation.”

Given that it was the team that ordered Perez to potentially break the rules and incur the wrath of stewards, is Red Bull’s punishment too lenient?

Let us know by commenting or voting below in the latest issue Racing News365 vote.