Monaco GP Sergio Perez win under threat after Ferrari protest over alleged pit exit infraction

MONTE CARLO — Sergio Perez’s Monaco Grand Prix victory could be under threat after Ferrari protested him and Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen for an alleged infraction over pit exit.

Perez held off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win on Sunday, with Verstappen finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc for the final spot on the podium.

Ferrari felt both Red Bull drivers had breached the line on pit exit after tyre changes, something which is forbidden in the rules.

By protesting, Ferrari hopes a penalty can be applied retrospectively.

With the top four drivers covered by 2.7s, any penalty for either Red Bull driver would see them lose position.

Perez and Verstappen both exited the pits on Lap 23 on dry tyres on a track that was still lacking grip, following the downpour which had delayed the race for over an hour.

Verstappen’s onboard replay was shown several times during the race but it was unclear whether his car had touched the line or not.

Despite struggling for grip Verstappen managed to keep Leclerc behind him on the run up the hill.

The stewards did not investigate either incident during the race.

An hour after the race, having celebrated on the podium and completed post-race media commitments, Perez and Verstappen were summoned to see the stewards at 17:15 local time.

Speaking after the race, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto told Sky Sports: “As Ferrari we are disappointed because we think there was clear breach of regulations on the two Red Bulls for going on the yellow line exiting the pits.

“I think it was not close. He was on the line and if you look at the sporting code, the wording says crossing.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he was not concerned about any penalties, having reviewed footage post-race.

Red Bull might see last year’s Russian Grand Prix for some precedent. In that race, Lando Norris slid across the pit exit after switching from dry to wet tyres late on, but was given a reprimand rather than a penalty due to the conditions.

Penalties could have a big impact on…