Sergio Perez exploited a loop hole in F1 rules to serve a penalty, but some fans think it 'feels like cheating'.
It was a weekend to forget for the Mexican driver, with Red Bull's No.2 having problems from the green light. Perez had started in fifth, but a collision on the first corner saw Perez's front wing needing to be replaced.
However, a safety car was on track due to the debris, and replays later showed that Perez had overtaken under the safety car when entering the pit lane. And a five-second penalty was slapped on the Mexican.
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At this point, Perez was already one of the back markers when another crash with Kevin Magnussen's Haas meant he needed another front-wing. Red Bull decided to put Perez out his misery, but, 15 laps later, he got back into the car to serve his penalty for the Magnussen incident.
Red Bull had been granted permission from the FIA to send Perez back onto the track several laps down – ensuring he didn't leave the land of the rising sun with a looming penalty, before Red Bull retired the car for good.
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"Red Bull unretiring Perez so he can serve his penalty and then retire him again feels like cheating," one fan shared. While a second said: "Perez coming back on! Already held Norris up! Cheating p****. Just to clear the penalty!"
"Perez is cheating don’t let him back in the race," a third fumed. And a fourth added: "Shows how flawed the penalty system is…
A fifth said: "If the FIA is proper then this kind of action should be granted by a race ban!"
FIA rules state, if a penalty is not served in race, the stewards have the right to impose a grid drop at the next event.
Elsewhere on the track, Perez's team-mate Max Verstappen scorched the field, wrapping up the constructer's championship for Red Bull.
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