F1 News: Pérez to Avoid Monaco Gearbox Penalty

Sergio Pérez will avoid a grid-penalty for the Monaco GP

Red Bull's Sergio Pérez was at the heart of the controversy in Monaco qualifying, losing his RB18 into turn 8 and forcing a red flag to end the session prematurely. 

Pérez's error ruined Verstappen's chances of starting any higher than the back of the second row, but Red Bull had other concerns at the end of the session. 

There were fears the 2-time race winner's crash caused gearbox damage, as the Mexican spun out and made first contact with the barriers with the rear end of his machine. 

However, Motorsport journalist Luis Manuel López was among the first to report Red Bull's confidence that the damage sustained was not too severe. 

En Red Bull afirman que no hay demasiado daño en la caja de Checo, se puede reparar sin exceder el número de piezas permitido y no habría penalización.#F1xFOX #MonacoGP #F1 #ChecoPerez #Formula1 #FelizSabadoATodos

— Luis Manuel López (@chacho_lml) May 28, 2022

Avoiding a penalty will be integral for Red Bull, who have rebounded tremendously in the constructors' championship after a series of costly retirements leading up to the Australian GP.

With the Ferrari duo locking out the front row, it will be important for Red Bull to make progress quickly. 

Red Bull's saving grace after a problematic qualifying could be rain, which could destabilise what would otherwise be a fairly routine Grand Prix for the Ferrari squad.