Sergio Perez calls for penalties for F1 drivers triggering red flags

Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez has called for the drivers who red flag Formula One sessions or races to be penalised.

Perez was commenting after a chaotic qualifying session at a wet Imola on Friday that saw a record five red flags being waved.

The previous record was four at the 2016 Hungarian GP and the 2021 Azerbaijan GP.

Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris were the five drivers responsible for the flags.

Sainz, Magnussen, and Norris all crashed or spun out, while Albon's rear right brake exploded, and Bottas was left stranded due to technical issues.

Both Norris and Magnussen still lined up on the grid ahead of Perez, which the Mexican driver feels was unfair.

"On the red flags, I think it was pretty intense with all the red flags and I feel like we should review the rules because I feel like if a driver makes a mistake and causes a red flag, he should be penalised somehow," he said.

"I think when we go to other tracks like Monaco or places like that, it can actually be an advantage; you can have a mistake and still be on pole, so it will be nice to review.

An unfortunate turn for Lando ?? but it ended up securing him a third place finish in qualifying ??#ImolaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/KE4zVvqxpz

"I know Lando made a mistake; I was one of the drivers that did it. Just going forward, I think it would be good to make sure that if you make a mistake; you pay for it."

An incident last season saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc grab pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing on his final lap, which led to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff calling for a change to the regulations.