Red Bull star hit with PENALTY at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Red Bull's Sergio Perez had more to worry about during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix than his team-mate Max Verstappen, having been hit with a five second time penalty early on.

The Mexican managed to shrug off the setback though, finishing second on the track with enough of a gap back to third-placed Charles Leclerc that he retained his position.

READ MORE: F1 Times Today: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix results - Rookie Bearman stuns as Verstappen wnis

Perez was hit with a five second penalty for an unsafe release during his first pit stop in front of Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, a stop that was part of a double stack by the Red Bull team during an early safety car.

In a separate incident, Kevin Magnussen was handed a 10-second time penalty for an incident involving Williams' Alex Albon as the race approached half distance, before being hit with another penalty.

Perez's Red Bull misery

34-year-old Perez was attempting to gain an advantage in the stops by stopping under the safety car, with the team looking to put both him and Verstappen onto the same strategy.

However, the double stack led to Perez being put right into the path of Alonso, with the Spaniard telling his team over the radio that he was not pleased with Red Bull's actions.

Magnussen, in the meantime, was hit with a double whammy, having first been penalised for causing a collision with Albon, before being penalised for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in an earlier battle with RB's Yuki Tsunoda, getting hit with two 10-second penalties.

READ MORE: Verstappen admits Horner saga 'damaging' for Red Bull

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