Sergio Perez narrowly avoided a high-speed crash with Liam Lawson while defending his position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the incident has produced a blunt Sergio Perez Baku safety warning over Formula 1’s 2026 engine rules. Perez says the gap in deployment and power between rival manufacturers is “too dangerous” and fears a serious accident is coming unless the regulations change.
Perez Avoids Massive Baku Shunt as 2026 Engine Rules Trigger Safety Alarm
The scare happened as Perez defended his position at the Baku street circuit, one of the fastest and most unforgiving tracks on the calendar. He described a near-collision with Lawson that could easily have ended in a heavy shunt, caused not by a driving error but by the mismatch in energy deployment between the two cars.
Perez’s own weekend offered little relief. Running Ferrari’s updated power unit for the Baku round, he failed to reach Q2 and finished the race down in 14th. The result added weight to his frustration, given he was already fighting a car that could not match the deployment of the front runners.
Perez Demands Urgent Regulatory Review Following High-Speed Lawson Near-Miss
Speaking after the race, Perez was direct about what needs to happen next. “More than anything, it’s a race that we need to review a lot what’s going on with the energy management, the difference in engines,” he said, according to a Crash.net report on the Baku incident.
“I was going to have a massive shunt with [Liam] Lawson when I was defending from him, because the difference in deployment and power across engines is too dangerous.”
He went further, warning that the sport is heading towards a genuine crisis if nothing is done. “And I fear something bad is going to happen soon, if we don’t make some changes on the regulations,” Perez said. It’s a serious message from a driver with nothing to gain from exaggerating the risk.
Power Unit Deployment Gaps Create Dangerous Closing Speeds Across 2026 Grid
The root of the problem sits with the 2026 power unit rules, which introduced a 50/50 split between electrical energy and internal combustion power. That shift was meant to bring closer racing, but it has instead exposed a wide gap between manufacturers in how much energy they can deploy and when. Our piece on advancements in modern hybrid engine technology covers how these systems developed heading into this season.
Perez was blunt about who benefits most. “I hope they are able to close up the gap, because at the moment it feels like Mercedes and Red Bull, they have a very strong engine, and they can get you in places where the deployment is so poor and different to us. The difference in speed is too dangerous,” he said.
Baku was not an isolated case. An earlier incident in Japan between Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman already raised alarm over closing speeds tied to energy harvesting. Valtteri Bottas also crashed out on the penultimate lap at Turn 15 in Baku, his car’s systems getting confused after a wide moment at Turn 1 earlier in the race. Cadillac, meanwhile, remains the only team on the 2026 grid yet to score a point, a reminder of how uneven this first season under the new rules has been.
Timeline for FIA Engine Rule Modifications and Upcoming Formula 1 Races
The energy split is not fixed for the long term. It is set to move to a 47/42 ratio next year, before shifting again to 60/40 in 2028. Those changes were planned before Baku, but Perez’s comments will add pressure on the FIA to look again at how quickly the gap between manufacturers can be closed.
For now, teams head into the remaining rounds with the same deployment disparities that nearly caught Perez out in Azerbaijan. You can catch up on key formula 1 news and updates from across the season as the grid continues to adjust to life under the new regulations.
