Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, is set to investigate whether Sergio Perez deliberately crashed his car during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
At issue was the central dispute over Red Bull’s orders that erupted in Brazil last weekend. FIA president Mohammad bin Sulayem said: “Nobody has said we want an investigation from our side.
“But if there’s something to look at, we’d be more than happy to. I’m not shy or afraid to get into it. “
Ben Sulaim added that he would discuss the matter with world champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen has not publicly disclosed the reasons why he refused to give teammate Perez sixth place at Interlagos last Sunday. But the Dutchman believes Perez deliberately crashed in his final qualifying session in Monaco in May, preventing Verstappen from progressing to the front row, multiple sources said.
Indeed, Perez qualified third ahead of Verstappen and went on to win the race after Ferrari made a strategic mistake with leader Charles Leclerc.
On Thursday, Peres described the allegations as “speculation” and a “gift,” adding that “these rumors are false.”
F1 rules prohibit unsportsmanlike conduct and offer various penalty options if the FIA detects it.
Red Bull is unlikely to release information on the matter as it could further undermine the consensus of the team, which has been badly affected by the Brazilian civil war. Ben Sulayem became FIA president just days after former race director Michael Masi mishandled the title in Abu Dhabi last year, costing Lewis Hamilton the race and world champion Verstappen.
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The FIA subsequently suspended Masi and issued a race report earlier this season. The report criticized the mistakes made in Abu Dhabi as unsatisfactory.
Ben Sulayem said: “The report may not have been good enough. but it was a good attempt at transparency, and now you can see it whenever there is a problem.”
He highlighted the controversies surrounding. The use of recovery vehicles on the track during heavy rain and poor visibility at the Japanese Grand Prix. And the intervention earlier this year to eliminate dangerous “jumps” or potholes affecting the health of some cars. The driver was injured. Japan sparked reports that only one of the two race directors. Who have switched roles this year will retain their post until the end of the season.
And the FIA introduced rejection rate measures and other. Rule changes to address the issue in the second half of the season. “The problem we had [in Japan] was that we prepared. A thorough report and after consultation it was published on the FIA website before the next race,” said Ben Sulayem.
“We called 20 drivers, including the pigs. I invited 10 group leaders. I listened to them and arrived at the change that took place in Belgium”.