Should Sergio Perez have been penalized at Paul Ricard?

“He was in Toulon! ". here's how Toto wolff summarizes the overcoming of Sergio Perez on Valtteri Bottas at the end of the race. The pilot Red Bull reached the podium for the second time in a row yesterday during the French Grand Prix. But the Mexican could very well have been penalized.

Under investigation by the commissioners, Sergio Perez slipped through the cracks, which is not to the taste of Mercedes. At the microphone of Canal +, Toto Wolff explained why Valtteri Bottas did not stop to make a second stop and thus aim for the best lap in the race

“We thought Perez was going to get a 5-second penalty. It was no longer overtaking away… he was in Toulon there! » A joke which, however, costs Mercedes dearly in the manufacturers' ranking. The German team has 178 points against 215 for Red Bull, now 37 behind.
 

What do the commissioners say about this excess?

The commissioners delivered their verdict and Sergio Perez was not penalized. In the post-race note, the stewards believe that "Checo" had already completely overtaken Bottas by the time he left the track, thus gaining no advantage. The stewards added that Perez had lost enough time at the next corner to have gained an advantage in this maneuver. 

This is therefore a very different case from Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa in Hungary in 2013. Mercedes having not appealed this decision, the result will remain the same at Paul Ricard. And you, do you think that Perez should have been penalized for this overtaking? Find the analysis of the French Grand Prix by our experts in AUTOhebdo No. 2317, available from Monday evening in digital version and Wednesday on newsstands.