**Perez Expects Penalty for Hamilton Over Zandvoort Qualifying Incident**

Sergio Perez believes that the stewards will likely issue a penalty to Lewis Hamilton for an "unfortunate" event that occurred in the first qualifying session at Zandvoort.

Sergio Perez thinks that F1 stewards will impose a penalty on Lewis Hamilton for an incident that occurred during qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver accused Hamilton of blocking him at Turn 9 during the first qualifying session at Zandvoort, calling the seven-time world champion an "idiot" over the team radio.

Hamilton is under investigation for potentially obstructing Perez during the incident and may face a grid penalty if found guilty. The Mercedes driver unexpectedly failed to advance past Q2, posting only the 12th quickest time.

Perez called the incident "unfortunate" and attributed it to bad timing, but believes Hamilton will likely face a penalty.

"He made every effort to avoid the situation, but sadly, we found ourselves in the wrong location at an inopportune moment," Perez stated.

"The officials have been very stringent this year, and I've received penalties for less severe incidents, so I do anticipate that he will be penalized as well, unfortunately."

"In my opinion, he made every effort to avoid the situation, and perhaps there should have been a bit more leeway given, but that's just how things stand."

Perez secured the fifth spot in the qualifiers but had to use an additional set of new soft tires to ensure his advancement to Q2. He believed this decision ultimately affected his chances of securing a higher starting position for Sunday's grand prix.

Perez mentioned that he should have completed a lap during his initial try in Q2. He added that it was unlucky because their qualifying might have had a different outcome if they had two sets available.

He mentioned that track evolution and using two sets of tires likely contribute to performance, estimating a difference of a few tenths of a second. However, he acknowledged that it's difficult to determine precisely.

“Clearly, with only one attempt, you want to avoid making mistakes. The lap wasn't very smooth, whereas having two chances allows you to push harder on the first lap.”

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