Perez handed Brazil grid penalty for 'reckless' Sutil clash

Force India’s Sergio Perez has been handed a seven-place grid drop for next weekend’s race in Brazil after the stewards in Austin adjudged him to have caused the first-lap collision that took both him and Sauber’s Adrian Sutil out of Sunday’s 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

Perez collided with Sutil on the first lap after an ill-judged passing attempt at Turn 16 which also saw the Mexican tag the rear end of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari. The incident denied Sutil - running in the top ten at the time - a shot at scoring Sauber’s first points of the season.

“The driver of car 11 (Perez) could not reasonably have expected to complete the manoeuvre,” read a statement issued by the stewards. “His collision with car 99 (Sutil) was reckless.”

Perez was also issued with two penalty points for the incident, which will stay on his licence for a period of 12 months.