F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Pérez urges F1 rule changes over speed differences

Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez says a close call with Liam Lawson in Azerbaijan has heightened his concern about speed differences between Formula 1 cars.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:35 · 1 min

Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez has urged Formula 1 to examine its rules on energy deployment after what he described as a near miss with Liam Lawson in Azerbaijan. Speaking to RacingNews365 and other reporters, Pérez said he had nearly gone off heavily while defending against Lawson.

Pérez argued that differences in energy deployment and engine power between cars were dangerous. He warned that something bad could happen soon unless the regulations changed.

Pérez said Mercedes and Red Bull seemed to have particularly strong engines, allowing their cars to catch his where its energy deployment was weaker or different. He said he hoped that gap could be closed.

Sources 01

SOURCEPérez luidt noodklok over F1-auto'sRacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-09-30

Source context

RacingNews365 Nederland reported Pérez’s comments on 30 September 2026, including his account of the moment with Lawson.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

RacingNews365 attributes the remarks to Sergio Pérez, identified as a Cadillac driver, and says he spoke to microphones including its own. The article names Pepijn van der Hulst and Sàndor Mészáros as authors.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Speaker, role and reporting provenance Article published 30 September 2026. This is one publication's account of the remarks, not an independently supplied recording or full transcript.

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Pérez said he nearly went off very hard while defending against Liam Lawson. RacingNews365 places the episode in Azerbaijan. This is Pérez's account of a near miss, not a reported collision.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Account of the encounter with Liam Lawson The 2026 Azerbaijan race context, discussed in the 30 September 2026 article. The supplied source does not independently document the manoeuvre or establish that an accident occurred.

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Pérez described differences in energy deployment and engine power as too dangerous and warned that something bad could happen soon unless the regulations change. This is his safety assessment and prediction, not an established finding that the cars are unsafe or an accident is imminent.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Safety concern and proposed response Remarks reported on 30 September 2026 about the current 2026 cars. The article supplies no independent technical or safety assessment of his warning.

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Pérez said it felt as though Mercedes and Red Bull had particularly strong engines, and linked that impression to places where his car's deployment differed. His hope that the gap could be closed is reported as his view; the article does not establish a measured engine-performance ranking.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Pérez's assessment of competing power units Remarks reported on 30 September 2026 about the current 2026 cars. RacingNews365 interprets this as a possible appeal to Ferrari; the quoted words do not explicitly name Ferrari, so that interpretation is not treated as Pérez's stated request.

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Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:35

De Nederlandse vertaling verduidelijkt dat Pérez zich tegen Lawson verdedigde en maakt onderscheid tussen inlopen en inhalen.

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