Helmut Marko outraged by penalty against Checo Perez blasts FIA

Helmut Marko outraged by penalty against Checo Perez blasts FIA
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Helmut Marko, Red Bull's advisor, strongly criticized the decision of the stewards at the Canadian Grand Prix, who imposed a three-place grid penalty on Sergio Perez for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, in addition to a fine of 25,000 euros. This penalty was due to the fact that Perez drove his car with a damaged rear wing, putting the safety of the other drivers at risk.
Marko expressed his displeasure in an editorial collaboration with Speedweek.com, arguing that the penalty was excessive. "I think it's too harsh a penalty, because in a race with changing conditions you have to take your car back, especially when at the beginning it's not clear exactly what the damage looks like," he said.
The incident occurred on lap 53 of the Canadian GP, when Perez crashed and damaged his rear wing at Turn 6. Despite taking responsibility for the accident, Perez attempted to bring the car back to the pits, following the team's instructions. According to Marko, the decision to move the car was based on information that the suspensions were intact, although Perez's rearview mirrors were dirty, making it difficult to assess the damage.
"Perez's wing mirrors were dirty, he couldn't see exactly what the rear end looked like; on the other hand, we could see from the data that the suspensions were fine, so of course you try to recover the car and ideally be able to fight for points again," Marko explained.
Radio communication confirmed that the team instructed Perez to bring the car back to the pits. However, this decision resulted in the penalty for the Spanish GP. Marko compared this situation to an incident in 2020, when Lewis Hamilton won at Silverstone with a destroyed tire without receiving a penalty. "The stewards explained that parts of the car had fallen off; but hello, I remember once Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line at Silverstone on three wheels and won. How strange; then, there was no penalty," he noted wryly.
The controversy highlights the perceived inconsistency in the stewards' decisions and raises questions about the handling of similar incidents in the future.