Sergio Perez, who was due to start Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix in 13th position, finally starts from the pit lane after being penalised by stewards after his Red Bull team breached car rebuild rules.
Several parts of the Mexican’s car, including the sidepod and the floor, had to be replaced on Saturday evening following his collision with French Alpine driver Esteban Ocon during the sprint.
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Perez, second in the provisional championship standings behind his Dutch teammate Max Verstappen, who was crowned world champion on Saturday, is only 29 points ahead of British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who starts from third place behind teammate George Russell and Verstappen, has a great opportunity to reduce the gap on the Mexican, while there are still five races to go this season after the Qatar Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz was ruled out of starting Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix for Ferrari after suffering a fuel-system problem on his car.
The Italian team confirmed his absence from the grid in a statement that followed a frantic effort by his mechanics, on the grid, before the race.
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In the end, the team decided with barely an hour to go that his SF-23 would not be ready in time to occupy his disappointing 12th spot on the grid for the race.
The statement said: “Due to a fuel system issue on his car, Carlos will not take part in the Qatar GP.”
Sainz claimed victory for Ferrari at the Singapore Grand Prix last month, ending a 10-race winning streak for world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
His Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc will carry their hopes from fifth on the grid.
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