Formula 1 had another episode analyzed by the FIA stewards during the Canadian GP weekend, this time involving Sergio Perez. The Cadillac driver received a reprimand after hindering Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin during Q1 in Montreal.
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Even with the investigation after the qualifying session, Perez did not receive a harsher penalty at the end of the stewards’ analysis. The Mexican managed to avoid losing positions on the starting grid, thanks to the circumstances considered mitigating by the race direction.
The incident happened approaching the last chicane of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Alonso was on a fast lap when he found Perez ahead, at a decisive moment of the qualifying session. The Spaniard finished the session just ahead of the Mexican, while the Cadillac driver ended up in 20th position on the starting grid.
Called by the stewards after the end of Q1, Perez explained that he believed Alonso was on a cooldown lap. According to the Mexican, the Aston Martin car was making movements that seemed typical of a driver preparing tires on a slow lap.
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However, the interpretation was incorrect. Alonso was actually on a fast attempt and was overtaking another car at that section of the Canadian track. Even so, the stewards understood that there were factors that justified a milder penalty. In the official document released by the FIA, the stewards detailed the investigation process: “The stewards heard the driver and the team representative, as well as reviewed positioning system data, video footage, lap times, and onboard recordings,” the statement says.
The entity also highlighted the justification presented by Perez: “The driver stated that he saw the car behind making warming-up movements and assumed it was on an out-lap, when in fact that car was overtaking another competitor,” the report concluded.
Even considering that the interpretation could be reasonable, the stewards concluded that Perez did not correctly follow the instructions described in the race director’s notes. Therefore, the Mexican received an official reprimand, his first in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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