Sergio Perez: Force India driver's grid penalty appeal fails

Force India driver Sergio Perez's five-place grid penalty for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix has been upheld after a second inquiry.

The Mexican had asked officials to look again at his collision with Felipe Massa's Williams in Canada on 8 June.

Sergio Perez posted a photograph suggesting he was not to blame for the collision in Montreal

Perez said he had not been given a chance to give his opinion after both drivers went for medical attention.

But officials agreed with the stewards in Canada that he had illegally changed his line approaching the corner.

Race stewards met with representatives from Force India on Friday morning at the Red Bull Ring and agreed to review the incident, giving Perez a chance to air his views.

But after hearing his evidence, they rejected his claim that he was merely exercising his right to use the whole track while protecting his position, saying he had illegally moved to defend while braking for the corner.

The official verdict read: "It was clear to the stewards that the defence of his position occurred in the braking area.

"Article 20.4 [of the sporting regulations] specifically states that any right to defend by using the whole track must occur prior to any braking area. Accordingly [Perez] was not entitled to defend his position as he did."

Perez's decision to move left while braking for the corner led to a spectacular collision that resulted in both cars crashing heavily into the barriers at Turn One of Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The impacts triggered the medical alarm in both cars, which is activated in impacts of more than 18G.

On Thursday, Massa had reiterated his view that Perez should have been given a tougher penalty.

Asked what he would do next time he tried to pass the Mexican, he said: "I will think twice.

"I have to believe that he will not move his car. And you cannot believe, when somebody is paying so many penalties, and causing so many problems, you cannot believe.

"I will not trust him any more in the car."