MONTE CARLO, Monaco — On a day that seemed to be all about patience, Sergio Perez was confirmed as winner of the Monaco Grand Prix at 20:35 local time on Sunday, four hours after the race had finished.
Perez had held off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to claim the third F1 race win of his career.
The race had been delayed by 70 minutes because of a heavy downpour and power outage before the scheduled start, and the waiting continued after the event as Ferrari protested Perez and his teammate Max Verstappen, who finished third.
Ferrari contended that Perez and Verstappen had breached the line at pit exit on Lap 23, which is not allowed under the rules.
Onboard replays of Verstappen getting close to the line were shown at numerous occasions during the TV broadcast, but the FIA did not pursue an investigation during the race.
At 20:00 local time, Perez jumped into the pool on Red Bull’s huge floating motorhome, suggesting the Mexican driver and his team knew the win had been secured.
The FIA’s official verdicts came through just over a half hour later, stating Ferrari’s protests were unfounded, something the Italian team themselves admitted once the evidence was reviewed.
Ferrari had claimed Perez and Verstappen had been to the left of the line and quoted a penalty given to Yuki Tsunoda at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix as precedent.
The stewards clarified that the FIA regulations state wheels cannot “cross” the pit exit line fully, which neither Red Bull car did in the incident in question.
Source: www.espn.com