Perez Thinks Norris Has Some Responsibility In Their Incident As He Disagrees With Stewards

Sunday, 26 November 2023 at 22:00

Sergio Perez reacted to receiving a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris 11 laps before the end of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sergio Perez was on his way to finish the last race of the 2023 season at Yas Marina Circuit on the podium until he received the five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris.

The 33-year-old started the race from ninth position on the grid after getting his qualifying lap time deleted for impeding the track limits and was on to another great recovery race up until lap 47.

After catching up with Lando Norris, he tried overtaking him into turn 6. However, the attempted overtake resulted in a collision for which Perez received a five-second penalty.

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2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Race Results

Norris shared his opinion on the incident, saying he was impressed by the collision with the Mexican driver as he tried to let him pass.

Perez obviously disagreed with the penalty as he called stewards a joke on a team radio right after the race finished. He told the media in Abu Dhabi:

"In my opinion, it was a 50/50. But he didn't end up losing anything, if anything, he gained [time]."

Norris ended up cutting the next corner as a result of the collision with Perez and regaining his position. The Red Bull driver said the collision was not only his fault.

"We ended up making contact, which was unfortunate. But to make contact you require both parties and Lando also had some responsibility in that, because he turned into me as if there was no one there."

The number 11 driver thought it was unfair to receive a penalty considering Norris regained his position by cutting the next corner. He added:

"I was fully alongside him, he cut the corner, he gained the time, and I still have a penalty. I honestly don't agree with the decision."

On the other hand, Perez received a penalty not for illegal overtaking but for causing a collision. Do you think his attempt for overtake caused the crash?