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Sergio Pérez to take five place grid penalty in Australia - The Sauber team change the gearbox after qualifying troubles

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Sergio Pérez to take five place grid penalty in Australia
Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG
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This is F1Minute - Sergio Pérez to take five place grid penalty in Australia.

Sauber driver Sergio Pérez has been forced to take a five place grid penalty for the Australian Grand Prix after mechanical problems meant the team had to change the gearbox. Pérez qualified 17th but will drop down to 22nd.

After the session was over, but before the penalty, Pérez spoke of his afternoon’s work: “We made some set-up changes to the car today and in Q1 I was busy adapting my driving style a bit. In Q2 I knew exactly what to do but then I could not shift anymore because of a gearbox problem. It is a true shame as there was a lot more to come from the car and from myself.”

The team will have to pin their hopes on Kamui Kobayashi for a good result in the race, but he is starting from 13th on the grid and is disappointed. He said: “I also had traffic in the last sector, but the main surprise was the lack of grip. Thirteenth is not really a nice position to start from and it doesn't reflect the potential of the car.”