Force India has defended Sergio Perez in the wake of the controversial, failed overtake by the Mexican, which eliminated Daniil Kvyat from the Monaco Grand Prix.
With just six laps to go, Perez made an attempted overtake at Rascasse on the inside of Kvyat’s Toro Rosso for ninth place, however, the move resulted in a collision between the pair costing them both a shot at finishing in a points-paying position.
Kvyat was furious after the race, slamming the move as a “desperate, stupid” overtaking attempt. Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer was quick to defend his driver.
He told Motorsport.com: “He pushes hard but he’s not reckless. He usually makes the moves stick.
“He overtook [Lance] Stroll, [Jolyon] Palmer, [Stoffel] Vandoorne, and tried on Kvyat. He probably overtook more than anyone, three of the four successfully.”
Because of a new mantra adopted by the race stewards to be much more hands off and allowing drivers to race and settle disputes themselves without interference, Szafnauer is further angered by the official’s decision to hand the 27-year old a 10-second time penalty for the collision.
He blames the Russian driver for leaving room on the inside of the corner.
“To me, Kvyat left the door open and then closed it on Checo,” he added.
“It ruined Checo’s race too. And I thought the FIA recently said, ‘Let them race.’ Did they not? That’s the new edict.
“Well, that, to me, was a racing incident. The door was open and then closed. It ruined Checo’s race too, that’s punishment enough – I don’t know why Toro Rosso would want anything else.
“Yeah, it ruined Kvyat’s race, but you don’t leave the door that wide open. You take Rascasse like you should, take a tight line like everyone else does, and it doesn’t happen.
“Do the fans want to see that kind of stuff? I think so. I’d hope so.”
