Sergio Pérez speaks on the 10-second time penalty that cost Cadillac their first point in F1 in Monaco ahead of the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP. Following the 2026 Monaco GP, Pérez was handed a time penalty for being out of position in his grid box during the restart. This meant his 10th place finish turned into P15.
Pérez on how he felt after the 2026 F1 Monaco GP
Cadillac being in the top 10 on the road in Monaco shows how far they have come from the start of the season. The team started their first ever F1 race with 1 DNF and Pérez being 3 laps down at the end of the race.
In Monaco, Pérez was able to cross the line in P10 despite receiving a drive through penalty at the beginning of the race for lining up in the wrong grid box. The Cadillac driver also suffered issues with his car but was able to continue the race. His teammate Valtteri Bottas had to retire from the Monaco GP due to brake issues.
Unfortunately for him, Pérez recieved a 10-second time penalty for being out of his grid box during the race restart. This meant he lost P10 and Cadillacs first point in F1.
During a print media session ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Pérez discussed the mixed emotions he felt after the Monaco GP.
“Yeah, it was a bit of mixed emotions.
“Obviously, it was really a fantastic race with everything that happened. Everything that came to us during that race, we had every single issue that you could imagine. And then the race gave us an opportunity which we grabbed with both hands and unfortunately got the penalty in the end. Which made it a little bit unsweetened.”
Pérez discusses the reason behind the penalties he recieved in Monaco
Sergio Pérez explained that the team can improve the communication between the driver and the pit wall when lining up on the grid. But he still takes responsibility for misjuding his starting position during the restart.
During one of Thursday’s media sessions in Barcelona, the Mexican driver stated that he “put everything down to every centimetre and to the limit”. Admitting that in Monaco, he went over the limit.
“Yeah, of course, of course. I think the first one is something we can clean up in the communication as well. Obviously I take the responsibility and at the same time. When you operate so much on the limit, as a driver, I’ve had good starts because I maximise every single centimetre.I try to keep my tyres as warm as possible. That means that I do my burnouts as close as possible to the box.
“So I put everything down to every centimetre and to the limit. And I went over it a bit. But at the end of the day, where I put the car, we didn’t have the pace to do it. So yeah, there’s still a lot of positives to take.”
Pérez also discussed how it was difficult to see the yellow line on the grid box from the car. He also admitted that there was a shadow in his gird box that made it harder to see.
“Well, I think it was a bit a part of everything because I was down in the shadow. Even when they tried to see the CCTV camera, they couldn’t because there is a shadow, there is a tree on top of it, so there was a bit of a shadow.
“So, I put it down to just being too much on the limit, you know, trying to get in there with the tyres as hot as possible, so making my burnouts as late as possible, and it wasn’t as clear to me.”
Pérez on whether Cadillac need special circumstances to achieve a point ahead of the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Sergio Pérez found himself in a points position at the 2026 F1 Monaco GP becasue of multiple different circumstances. Many drivers recieved penalties during the race. Including Nico Hülkenberg whose 10-second time penalty promoted Pérez to P10 prior to his own penalty.
Ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Sergio Pérez was asked whether it makes it more difficult for the team to accept the lost point because they need ‘special circumstances’ to be in that position.
Sergio Pérez is confident that the team will be able score points during the rest of the 2026 F1 season.
“No, it’s just a bit of everything I think. I mean at the end it’s one point. I believe that it will not be defined, the season, by one point. You know, there will be, as long as we keep improving and we keep in the right trajectory.
“If we find a little bit more pace and we are a little bit closer in normal tracks. I think with the level that I’m operating at, I will be able to get them back.”
