Sergio Perez 'cannot trust' all F1 drivers over gentleman's agreement breaches

Perez, Baku, Red Bull — Photo: © LAT Images

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Perez 'cannot trust' all F1 drivers over gentleman's agreement breaches

Perez was frustrated after finishing seventh in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Sunday 6 June 2021 10:40

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Sergio Perez has criticised the driving standards of his F1 colleagues during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and stated there were those he 'cannot trust'.

Qualifying in Baku was marred by four red-flag periods and countless occasions where drivers jostled for track position ahead of a flying lap, going against a supposed gentleman's agreement in place to ensure messy final sectors are avoided.

On the chaos of qualifying, in which Perez finished seventh, the Red Bull driver explained: "It was basically that we all went out at the same time, people overtaking and not respecting the gentlemen's agreement.

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"It just made things a little harder but we didn't put in the lap when it really counted and it is as simple as that."

On the gentleman's agreement, Perez added: "There are some drivers who really respect it and you can trust but there are some that you cannot.

"It is very hard, to be honest. I think the chaos starts when people are overtaking towards the end of the lap when we know we should just hold position and try to create gaps.

"It is like a traffic jam. If all of a sudden people... it just gets worse and worse. It has been like that for the last couple of years."

Perez calls for discussions ahead of French GP

It is not the first time the gentleman's agreement has been called into question this season after incidents in Bahrain and Portugal, notably with Nikita Mazepin.

Perez believes the rise in messy qualifying situations suggests a meeting should be held to ensure drivers are all on the same page as each other.

"Maybe it is something we should discuss as drivers and be more sensible about it, especially when it comes to qualifying that we should be more respectful and be more conscious that this can create difficulty for other people," added Perez.

"It is probably good to discuss it all together and see if it is something we all feel should happen."