Perez gears up for pitlane start after parc fermé breach

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Sergio Perez will launch his British Grand Prix from the pitlane on Sunday afternoon after Red Bull was forced to breach parc fermé conditions to undertake changes to the Mexican's car.

Perez spun out of Saturday's 17-lap sprint qualifying event, and while he kept himself out of the barriers, severe vibrations decided Red Bull to retire the car on the final lap.

But after a thorough inspection of Perez's RB16B, the Milton Keynes-based outfit's crews opted to pull the car out of parc fermé to overhaul the car's rear-wing assembly and revise its set-up to help Perez in his chase from behind this afternoon.

Read also: 'A low point for me', admits Perez of costly sprint spin

"The component [the rear wing] has been replaced with the approval of the FIA technical delegate following a written request from the team concerned, this being in accordance with Article 34.2 of the 2021 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations," said the FIA.

"But as the rear wing assembly is different from the one originally used and also changes have been made to the set up of the suspension and to the cooling of the front brakes (with the approval of the FIA technical delegate following a written request), car number 11 should now be required to start from the pitlane according to Article 34.8b of the 2021 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations."

Also, Red Bull has swapped the energy store and control electronics on Perez's Honda engine. As these are the third elements or the two that are authorized over the course of a season, the Mexican would have been a grid penalty in normal circumstances.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.