General
Perez doesn't agree with stewards: "The penalty is very unfair"
- GPblog.com
Sergio Perez crossed the finish line in fourth place during the Spanish Grand Prix, but a time penalty of five seconds ensured that he was classified fifth. It was teammate Lance Stroll who took advantage of the fact that Perez ignored the blue flags.
"I don’t understand where I should have moved," Perez said afterwards to several media, including Sky Sports. The Mexican didn't see an opportunity to let the Mercedes driver pass earlier. “Hamilton caught me very late in the lap and then the final sector is very tight, very narrow."
Perez points to safety
Perez would have lost a lot of time if he had stopped in the third sector so that Hamilton could have overtaken him. According to the 30-year-old driver, that really wasn't the primary reason. "So I didn’t have anywhere, it would have been very unsafe for me to do something there. Still I got a penalty which I feel was very unfair, but it’s how it is.”
The stewards were of the opinion that Perez ignored the blue flags from turn six to turn one. So Hamilton would have been stuck behind Perez for half a lap.