Sergio Pérez maintains his first victory at the Monaco GP and Max Verstappen takes the podium while commissioners rule out Ferrari protests; Ferrari had said the two Red Bull drivers should receive five-second penalties for crossing the yellow line at the pits.
By Matt Morlidge in Monaco
Last update: 29/05/22 21:15
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Ferrari protested against Max Verstappen, alleging that there was a “clear breach of the rules” at the pit stop during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Ferrari protested against Max Verstappen, alleging that there was a “clear breach of the rules” at the pit stop during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen have avoided sanctions for alleged boxing offenses at the Monaco GP after race stewards dismissed Ferrari’s protests.
The FIA verdict confirms Pérez’s victory, while Verstappen maintains his third place ahead of his rival Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari launched separate protests against Pérez and Verstappen in Monte Carlo, accusing them of illegally crossing the yellow line as they left the pits on lap 23, trying to stay ahead of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc.
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Ferrari team manager Mattia Binotto believes Max Verstappen broke the rules by crossing the pit-lane start line at the Monaco GP.
Ferrari team manager Mattia Binotto believes Max Verstappen broke the rules by crossing the pit-lane start line at the Monaco GP.
Race Control did not initiate an investigation during the Monte Carlo epic, but later Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto accused the two drivers of “clear breach of the rules”, noting the race director’s notes.
The FIA citation then confirmed that both Pérez and Verstappen were under investigation and a representative of the Red Bull team informed the commissioners, but Ferrari’s protest was rejected.
On Pérez, the FIA said the Mexican “had no part of his front or rear tires to the left of the yellow line” and concluded that the protest was “unfounded.”
Verstappen’s alleged breach always seemed more controversial and the FIA said both Ferrari and Red Bull had agreed that part of their tire was to the left of the yellow line.
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Red Bull team director Christian Horner says he is disappointed that Ferrari has appealed the departure of Max Verstappen during the Monaco Grand Prix, but is confident his driver will not face any punishment.
Red Bull team director Christian Horner says he is disappointed that Ferrari has appealed the departure of Max Verstappen during the Monaco Grand Prix, but is confident his driver will not face any punishment.
But there was a contradiction in the race director’s notes, which said “drivers should stay to the right of the yellow line,” and the International Sports Code, which says “should not cross any tires.”
The race director’s notes stated that “drivers must stay to the right of the solid yellow line at the pit exit at the exit of the pits and stay to the right of this line until it ends after the revolt 1 “.
In their verdict, the commissioners said that “the race director’s notes cannot contradict” the ISC.
“In this case, the car did not ‘cross’ the line,” they said. “To do this I would have had to have a full wheel to the left of the yellow line.
“Consequently, the driver did not breach the relevant section of the code and this takes precedence over any interpretation of the notes. Therefore, the protest is dismissed.”
What Ferrari and Red Bull said about the protest
Binotto said he wanted a time penalty for the Red Bulls, which would have seen both drivers finish behind Ferrari and Sainz get their first F1 victory.
“We protested because we thought it was right to ask for clarification,” the Ferrari boss said. “I think the two Red Bulls were on the yellow line at the start and in the past they’ve always been penalized with a five-second penalty.”
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Anthony Davidson of Sky F1 analyzes the pit stops of Red Bull and Ferrari that lost Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Anthony Davidson of Sky F1 analyzes the pit stops of Red Bull and Ferrari that lost Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Binotto told Sky Sports F1 earlier: “We are disappointed because we believe that there was a clear breach of the rules in the two Red Bulls that go along the yellow line at the exit of the box.
“I don’t think it was close. It was online and if you look at the intonation of the sports code it is saying crossover, but we had a clarification in Turkey 2020 to avoid any discussion and if you look at the notes of the race director. be on the right.
“Therefore, being online means not following the race director ‘s notes and I believe that each team has the duty and the task of following the race director’ s notes.
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Charles Leclerc was furious at the radio calls from his Ferrari team about whether or not to enter the pits.
Charles Leclerc was furious at the radio calls from his Ferrari team about whether or not to enter the pits.
“So for us this is not clear and we are still looking for a clarification from the FIA and we will be happy to receive our feedback as soon as possible.”
Rival counterpart Christian Horner, however, said it was “disappointing” that there was a protest after the race.
“We believe the International Sports Code is clear,” the Red Bull boss told Sky Sports News. “I didn’t go overboard, I was always in touch with the line.
“We have seen other precedents set, with other drivers in the past. If it were more than a reprimand, I would have been greatly disappointed. I hope common sense prevails.”