Unusual: Pérez finishes in the points despite a crash on the last lap
During a wheel-to-wheel battle with Pierre Gasly, Sergio Pérez saw his car crash into the barriers at turn number 1. Unharmed but deeply disappointed with his car, the Mexican did not know that a nice surprise awaited him.
“This time the top model Winnie Harlow really had nothing to do with it. This Sunday, a technical issue was the reason for a premature checkered flag at the 52nd of the 53 laps of the Suzuka Grand Prix.”
This incident reminds us of the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix season where guest Winnie Harlow was instructed to wave the checkered flag one lap early. While no impact on the final result was noted during that event, that was not the case during this special Sunday in the Japanese archipelago.
The battle for the 8th position in this Grand Prix between Perez and Gasly could have been costly for the Racing Point driver. His contact with the Frenchman led him off the track, admittedly not too violently, but it ended his otherwise very solid race. This incident happened on the 52nd lap, except the track information panel had already mistakenly displayed the checkered flag. In such cases, the FIA regulations are clear: if the race end signal is given prematurely, the race is considered ended at the moment when the leader crossed the finish line before this signal.
However, at that moment, the accident involving the two protagonists had not yet occurred, thus allowing Sergio Pérez to maintain his 9th place. A position he could improve if suspicions of irregularity in the Renault cars’ braking system were to be confirmed.
If the Racing Point driver is pleased with this news, it is not the case for the FIA, which has launched an investigation into this incident.
