The 2023 season posed significant challenges for Red Bull’s experienced driver, Sergio Perez. Despite an impressive start with two wins in the first four races, the 33-year-old struggled to secure additional victories. In a contrasting turn of events, Perez faced a difficult period where he failed to qualify for the Q3 in five consecutive races. Collisions and crashes were a recurring occurrence for the Mexican driver. Apparently, these incidents have made the #11 vulnerable to a race ban.
As the season progressed, there were indications that Perez might be considering a fresh start for the upcoming season, aiming to overcome setbacks with renewed determination. However, compounding his troubles, it emerged that Perez had amassed the highest number of penalty points. This unfortunate recognition now puts Perez in a precarious situation, making him the most vulnerable contender for a possible race ban in 2024.
Sergio Perez currently holds the top position in this unwanted penalty points list among the 20 drivers with a total of 7 points, according to Racing News 365. He received the first penalty point for causing a collision with Alex Albon during the Singapore Grand Prix. Later in the Suzuka race, the Mexican driver earned two points for overtaking Fernando Alonso under safety car conditions.
He also got two points for colliding with Kevin Magnussen. Unfortunately, in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Perez once again received two penalty points for causing a collision with Lando Norris.
Examining Perez’s points, one might question the rationale behind the penalty points system. In 2014, Formula 1 introduced this system to penalize drivers consistently involved in accidents during race weekends. This system addresses specific in-race offenses. While many are familiar with time penalties, the penalty point system is designed as a threshold of 12 points for each driver. If a driver accumulates this total, they face a ban from the next applicable race.
However, to much surprise of the fans, Max Verstappen, who acquired two penalty points during the Las Vegas GP for forcing Leclerc off the track is also accompanying Perez in this list. Tragically, when examining the team’s cumulative total, Red Bull has claimed the top spot on this chart as well with a total of 9 points. Thus, the Milton Keynes-based team not only secured prestigious honors in the 2023 season but also found themselves at the forefront of this undesirable list.
Apart from Sergio Perez, who else has been grabbing attention in this unwelcome list?
The 2023 season, marked by the brilliance of Max Verstappen, presented a contrasting narrative for some drivers who faced a series of unfortunate events. Notably, Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant found themselves entangled in the web of misfortunes.
However, despite being recognized as one of the promising talents of the season, Logan Sargeant’s campaign was marred by challenges. With seven DNF instances and only a single point, Sargeant secured the unenviable position as the second driver with the highest number of penalty points (6).
This tough season not only impacted Sargeant individually but also took a toll on Williams, earning them the undesirable title of the “Destructor’s Championship” with $7 million in damages. According to F1 technical.net Sargeant significantly contributed to the team’s financial burden with a substantial amount of $4,333,000. Nevertheless, despite the challenges, Williams’ boss, James Vowles, decided to give Sargeant another chance.
Vowles defended this choice by emphasizing the team’s commitment to developing rookie drivers. Besides he also acknowledged that the miserable performance was a result of the restricted testing opportunities granted to Sargeant with the FW45. In the end, despite facing notable performance obstacles, Williams expressed trust in Sargeant’s abilities by renewing the American driver’s contract for 2024.
