Force India F1 team threatens warring Ocon and Perez with race bans
Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon have been threatened with race bans by their Force India Formula 1 team if they collide again after their Belgian Grand Prix clashes
The duo came together twice at Spa, with their second collision on the run down to Eau Rouge breaking Ocon's front wing and giving Perez a puncture.
With Perez and Ocon having previously rowed in Canada, collided in Azerbaijan and then clashed again in Hungary, Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer immediately said they would no longer be allowed to race each other.
Now he has declared the pair risk being dropped for a race as punishment for any further problems.
Mercedes adopted this policy last year after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided at the Austrian GP.
Asked by Autosport if Force India would go as far as benching one of the drivers, Szafnauer said: "Yes. If it happens again, we have to figure it out.
"We would have to start thinking about who we would stick in the car."
The on-track clashes at Spa were followed by a war of words in the paddock, with Ocon telling television crews that Perez had risked both their lives and later tweeting that his team-mate had tried to "kill" him.
Perez took to social media to refute that allegation on Sunday night.
Szafnauer said he was particularly upset that Ocon and Perez had collided again as Force India had given them so many opportunities to keep fighting fairly.
"I am disappointed that they couldn't sort it out, and that the team has to now play big brother," he said.
"That is disappointing. But the team comes first and that is what we have to do."
Pushed on whether Force India bosses should have been harder with the pair when tensions flared earlier this year, Szafnauer replied: "If we would have done that initially, maybe this wouldn't have happened if we had rules of engagement.
"So you can say that we lost out on some points.
"But there is always that balance between the show and allowing them to race and pushing each other, and artificially controlling it, which we don't like to do."
Perez and Ocon were informed of the new policy in the post-race debrief in Belgium and a meeting will be held before next weekend's Italian GP to fully outline it.
"Before we lay down the law, we have to gather the information and openly discuss it with them," said Szafnauer.
"The rules of engagement will be changed. That is it.
"If there is no upside potential and only downside risk, then we hold station."
Ocon posted on Twitter on Monday morning that his post-race comments were when "upset" and "in the heat of the moment", adding that he appreciated Perez's apology.
Previous article
Red Bull's Max Verstappen set for Italian Grand Prix grid penalty
Next article
Why Ferrari was the real winner at Spa
How Britain’s lost Ferrari star epitomised a bygone F1 era
The 1956 Italian Grand Prix was over for Juan Manuel Fangio, along with his hopes of winning the world championship – until his Ferrari team-mate (and title rival) voluntarily surrendered his own car so Fangio could continue. NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls Peter Collins, a remarkable sportsman
The 'surprise' Mercedes time that puts F1's victory fight back on a knife-edge in France
Red Bull led the way after the first two practice sessions for the 2021 French Grand Prix, but only just ahead of Mercedes. There was all the usual practice skulduggery complicating the performance picture, but one aspect seen at the world champion squad gave it a ‘surprise’ lift, as it looks to leave its street-circuit struggles firmly in the past
How Ferrari got its F1 recovery plan working
After its worst campaign in 40 years, the famous Italian team had to bounce back in 2021 – and it appears to be delivering. Although it concedes the pole positions in Monaco and Baku paint a somewhat misleading picture of its competitiveness, the team is heading into the 2022 rules revamp on much stronger footing to go for wins again
The joy that exposes F1’s key weakness
Long-awaited wins for ex-Formula 1 drivers Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen in IndyCar and IMSA last weekend gave F1 a reminder of what it is missing. But with the new rules aimed at levelling the playing field, there’s renewed optimism that more drivers can have a rewarding result when their day of days comes
The figures Red Bull and Mercedes can't afford to see again in F1 2021
OPINION: An interloper squad got amongst the title contenders during Formula 1’s street-circuit mini-break, where Red Bull left with the points lead in both championships. But, as the campaign heads back to purpose-built venues once again, how the drivers of the two top teams compare in one crucial area will be a major factor in deciding which squad stays in or retakes the top spot
Why Alfa's boss is ready for the task of securing a stronger F1 future
Two tenth places in recent races have lifted Alfa Romeo to the head of Formula 1's 'Class C' battle in 2021, but longer-term the Swiss-based squad has far loftier ambitions. With the new 2022 rules set to level out the playing field, team boss Frederic Vasseur has good reason to be optimistic, as he explained to Autosport in an exclusive interview
How Barnard’s revolutionary McLaren transformed F1 car construction
The MP4/1 was pioneering by choice, but a McLaren by chance. STUART CODLING relates the tangled (carbonfibre) weaves which led to the creation of one of motor racing’s defining cars
Why the end is nigh for F1’s most dependable design tool
Windtunnel work forms the bedrock of aerodynamic development in Formula 1. But as PAT SYMONDS explains, advances in virtual research are signalling the end of these expensive and complicated relics
