Perez handed Azerbaijan grid penalty for impeding Piastri

Sergio Perez is set to start 20th in Azerbaijan after receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying.

GPBeat · Newsroom26 Sept 2026, 06:28 · 1 min

Sergio Perez has been given a three-place grid penalty for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after stewards ruled that he impeded Oscar Piastri during qualifying in Baku.

The incident happened in Q1 through Turns 18, 19 and 20. Piastri was on a flying lap and had to lift off to avoid Perez’s Cadillac, which was on a preparation lap.

RacingNews365’s account of the stewards’ findings says Perez received two warnings that Piastri was approaching. The race director’s instructions required drivers on preparation laps to stay on the right-hand side of the track, but Perez was weaving to warm his tyres instead.

Piastri told the stewards he did not feel he had lost significant time despite lifting, and the stewards judged that the incident was not dangerous. They nevertheless found that Perez had impeded him, citing the warnings, his failure to follow the instructions and Piastri’s need to lift.

Perez qualified 19th but is set to drop just one place to 20th, exchanging positions with Cadillac team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Both Aston Martin drivers have back-of-the-grid engine penalties, accounting for the smaller net change despite Perez’s three-place sanction.

Source context

Source context: RacingNews365 English’s report of 25 September 2026 covers the qualifying incident, the stewards’ findings and the resulting grid positions.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

RacingNews365 reports that Sergio Perez received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Penalty imposed on Sergio Perez at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 25 September 2026, after Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying The penalty is supported by the retrieved news report; the official decision is not part of the supplied archive.

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The report places the incident in Q1 through Turns 18, 19 and 20 in Baku. Piastri was on a flying lap and lifted to avoid Perez's Cadillac, which was on a preparation lap. RacingNews365 gives Piastri's speed as approximately 300 km/h and Perez's as 248 km/h.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Circumstances of the qualifying incident Q1, Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, 25 September 2026 These are speeds reported for the incident, with Piastri's figure explicitly approximate.

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According to RacingNews365's account of the stewards' findings, Perez had received two warnings that Piastri was approaching. Drivers on preparation laps were instructed to keep to the right, but Perez was weaving to warm his tyres instead. The stewards treated the warnings, failure to follow the instructions and Piastri's need to lift as grounds for finding impeding.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported instructions and grounds for the impeding finding Stewards' investigation following qualifying on 25 September 2026 This is the publication's account of the instructions and adjudication, not a directly inspected official ruling.

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RacingNews365 reports that Piastri told the stewards he did not feel he had lost significant time despite lifting. It also reports that the stewards did not consider the incident dangerous. Neither point prevented the impeding penalty.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Limits on the reported severity and effect of the incident Stewards' investigation following qualifying on 25 September 2026 The time-loss assessment is attributed to Piastri, not presented as a measured lap-time result. The safety assessment is attributed to the stewards through RacingNews365.

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RacingNews365 says the three-place sanction moved Perez from 19th in qualifying to 20th on the grid, with Valtteri Bottas exchanging places with his team-mate. The report explains the smaller net change by noting that both Aston Martin drivers had back-of-the-grid engine penalties.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported starting-grid consequence Starting-grid position reported on 25 September 2026 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix This is the grid consequence stated in this report, not independent verification of the final starting grid or the separate Aston Martin penalty decisions.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.