Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and Williams driver Franco Colapinto faced a late demotion at the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint after breaching parc fermé regulations. Parc fermé, which translates to “closed park” in French, enforces strict rules preventing teams from making changes to their cars once they enter a designated phase of the race weekend. For sprint weekends like Qatar, these conditions apply from the moment a car exits the pit lane in SQ1.
The issues arose after both Perez and Colapinto’s teams made setup changes to their cars’ suspension ahead of the Sprint race. Jo Bauer, the FIA’s technical delegate, reported the violations, stating: “Changes to the set up of the suspension have been made on car numbers 11 and 43. Therefore these cars should now be required to start the sprint from the pitlane according to Article 40.9 b) of the 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.” Following this, the stewards confirmed the breach, mandating both drivers to begin the Sprint from the pit lane.
Perez’s weekend had already been difficult, with the Red Bull star qualifying only P16 after failing to progress beyond the bottom five in SQ1. The parc fermé violation compounded his challenges, pushing him to the back of the starting grid for the Sprint. Red Bull, already under scrutiny for struggles during the weekend, faced added disappointment as Perez’s chances to recover and score points in the top eight diminished further.
Colapinto, driving for Williams, was originally set to start P20 and hoped that the adjustments might make his car more competitive. Despite starting from the pit lane, the changes offered a potential opportunity to improve his race performance.
The demotion underlined the importance of adhering to parc fermé rules in Formula 1, especially during sprint weekends where every decision can significantly impact a team’s and driver’s prospects. Both Perez and Colapinto faced uphill battles to turn their difficult starts into meaningful results, reflecting the challenges of competing at the highest level of motorsport.
