Jarno Trulli admonishes Sergio Perez and the FIA

In his column for the Italian daily La Republicca, Team Lotus driver Jarno Trulli was furious with Sergio Perez and especially with the inaction of the FIA: « This time, it’s my turn to complain and even though my race was cut short, I have to give F1 a piece of my mind. Already at the start, I had to deal with three incidents in front of me that relegated me to the back of the pack, then Perez came along with absurd behavior and everything was over. »

The fault of the Sauber driver? Having abusively taken advantage of a shortcut to maintain his position ahead of the Italian. « He was strangely slower [editor’s note: which Perez confirmed in his post-race statements], slower than my Lotus, I overtook him twice and, to regain his position, he cut the chicane. The rules couldn’t be clearer: he had to let me pass again, give me back my place but instead, he didn’t care at all, he stayed in front of me. He showed rare bad manners and a unique ignorance of the rules, » complained the Team Lotus driver about the Sauber driver who was nevertheless penalized later in the race for overtaking under yellow flag conditions the Lotus T128 of Heikki Kovalainen.

In any case, the Italian, whose race was prematurely interrupted by a water leak, wonders why the FIA did not intervene in his case: « I understand why he shrugs [when asked about it], but the stewards should have intervened. I could only overtake him in the slow part, and I couldn’t do it; he slowed me down and ruined my race even before my engine started acting up, like at Silverstone. I want the message to be clear: the rules are the same for everyone, not just for those in front but also for those at the back of the grid. »

However, one question remains: Upon his return from vacation for the Belgian Grand Prix, will the Italian defend his case, photos in hand, as he did in Abu Dhabi in 2009 after his collision with Adrian Sutil on the first lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix?