Red Bull’s Mexican driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez started the British Grand Prix weekend with mixed results. He finished at the Top-5 in both free practices leading up to the 2023 British Grand Prix, demonstrating solid form. However, he also incurred a financial penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit, as the International Automobile Federation (FIA) specified.
FIA’s Speed Limit and the Resulting Penalty
To maintain safety during on-track activities, the FIA imposes a speed limit for drivers in the pit lane. This limit applies from when the drivers enter to when they leave the pit lane. During the British GP, this limit was set at 80 km/h.
Pérez, unfortunately, was found to have exceeded this limit during the second practice session, clocking in at 80.9 km/h as per the FIA document. The regulations mandate a fine of 100€ for every kilometer per hour exceeded, resulting in a 100€ penalty for Red Bull as Perez didn’t cross the limit by 1 km/h.
However, the impact of this penalty is purely financial. It will not affect Perez’s ability to compete in the remaining stages of the British GP.
Perez’s Track Record and Austrian GP Performance
Guadalajara driver hopes to continue the momentum from the Austrian Grand Prix. Pérez had a phenomenal run, moving from a 15th-place start to finish third, marking his return to the podium. This success was built on his excellent performance on the previous Saturday when he finished second in both the sprint shootout and the sprint race.
Nevertheless, Perez’s Austrian GP wasn’t without hiccups. He had a difficult start when he exceeded track limits, losing all his Q2 times. This mishap resulted in a delayed start for the feature race, marking his fourth consecutive missed opportunity to make it to Q3.
Building Confidence for the British Grand Prix
Despite the previous setbacks, Perez began the Friday practice for the British GP on a solid note. He finished second and fourth on a day dominated by his teammate, Max Verstappen. Red Bull boss, Horner, acknowledged Perez’s restored confidence, expressed in his quote on Sky Sports F1: “Fridays and Sundays for ‘Checo’ are great. Saturdays are when he’s had a nightmare.”
Horner shared his hopes for the upcoming qualifying round: “His confidence after the race in Austria… he’s a confident driver (now), and he’s starting to find that form again. Hopefully, he can have a good day tomorrow and qualify up there.”
Red Bull and Horner’s Outlook for the Weekend
Horner was pleased with Red Bull Racing’s overall performance on Friday at Silverstone, expressing concerns about the weekend races’ tire wear. He mentioned the new tire build contributed to noticeable degradation, especially with softer compounds. According to Horner, all drivers have noticed this potential hurdle. A temperature change could make degradation an exciting factor for the upcoming Sunday race.
To conclude, Horner praised the performance of Williams’ drivers, Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant. Both drivers finished in the top five in the second practice qualifier after Albon’s impressive third-place finish in the first session. “It’s impressive. Not just Alex but both drivers…They could be in the back group,” Horner said, pointing to an exciting competition.