The 2023 Japanese Grand Prix saw Red Bull use a loophole and save Sergio Perez from getting a grid penalty in the upcoming Qatar GP. In doing so they made a mockery of the FIA’s rulebook. Now Alex Brundle, as per F1 TV, thinks that the governing body should bring in a rule similar to what 24 Hours of Le Mans follows, in order to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
The Austrian team pulling off such a move was regarded as very clever by experts and fans alike. Since what happened was technically not illegal, many praised them for their smart thinking. It saved Perez from getting a grid drop in Lusail, which could have been catastrophic for the team. Some, however, have also criticized Red Bull.
Highlight of the race so far:
Sergio Perez getting back on the track/pit-lane to get his final 5 sec penalty after being DNF 20 mins ago. #Suzuka #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5ZHluX5mEP
— Ameer Hamza Asif (@AmeerHamzaAsif) September 24, 2023
Like other experts, Brundle, who is also a racing driver, feels that the move pulled off by Red Bull with Perez was not right. Therefore, he called in to bring immediate changes to put a stop to what Red Bull did. Brundle doesn’t want to see this repeated in the future.
Brundle suggests FIA to bring Le Mans rule to avoid Sergio Perez loophole
During the post-race show of the Japanese GP, Brundle, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Will Buxton discussed the ‘immoral’ move pulled off by Red Bull. There, Buxton asked Brundle to give his take on it.
Replying to this, the F1 expert stated as per F1 TV, “They haven’t broken the rule as they stand, No. But I’m gonna go for a gap here and bring Le Mans.” Following this, he mentioned how the rule works in Le Mans.
Brundle said that according to the rule, a driver must complete a certain amount of distance after coming out, otherwise it will be considered a DNF. Nevertheless, the FIA indeed took measures to stop such kind of loopholes from being used by the team in the future.
What measures FIA trying to bring?
According to Junaid Samodien, Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz revealed that the FIA allowed Red Bull to restart Perez’s race but they also informed that in the future they will not allow the same to happen.
Ted Kravitz says despite the FIA giving Red Bull permission to restart Perez’ race to serve the time penalties, the FIA are going to block the loop hole for future races.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) September 24, 2023
However, according to the Fastest PitStop and Mirror F1, FIA denied making such a claim and said that they would not be rushing to make any rule changes.
🚨 | The FIA has said that this is untrue and that it won’t be rushing to change the rules.
[@dmoxon_ / @MirrorF1]#F1 #JapaneseGP https://t.co/v0tBcctaqn
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 24, 2023
Nevertheless, keeping aside the controversial move by Red Bull, Sergio Perez needs a strong finish to the 2023 season. He needs to make sure he finishes the season in P2. Otherwise, there is a high chance that he will be sacked ahead of the start of the next season.
