FIA ignored Sergio Perez ‘all race’ about Monaco Grand Prix issue that caused Charles Leclerc DNF

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Unbroadcast radio messages from Sergio Perez during the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix show how his calls for the FIA to investigate the tarmac at the final corner of the circuit were ignored well before Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc crashed out of the race.

Both drivers suffered identical crashes during the latter stages of the Grand Prix, with Leclerc’s shunt coming on the safety car restart following Stroll’s incident.

What was initially thought to be a driver error was later found to be an issue with the surface of the track itself.

Part of the tarmac at the entry to the final corner of the Circuit de Monaco had disintegrated, leaving minimal grip for drivers as they approached the start/finish straight. Leclerc and Stroll ended up being passengers as their F1 cars careered into the barriers.

• READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer says Charles Leclerc is ‘way more prone to crashing’ than Lewis Hamilton

Sergio Perez warned the FIA about the track surface at Monaco ‘all race long’

The issue with the track surface was not investigated by the FIA until Leclerc’s crash on the safety car restart. Due to the identical nature of both incidents, a red flag was raised so officials could take a better look at the pothole that had opened up.

Cadillac still hasn’t managed to score a point in 2026 😩 How long before they get their first top 10?

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Marshals made temporary repairs to the track surface in order to get the race back underway, but the damage had already been done for Stroll and the home hero.

One thing that may irk the two stricken F1 drivers even more is the fact that Cadillac’s Sergio Perez had tried to warn the FIA about the broken track surface almost 45 minutes before it took its first victim.

On lap 25, the Mexican radioed the Cadillac pit wall and told them, “You need to clean the tarmac, in the final corner.” Unfortunately, his advice was ignored by race control, who kept the Grand Prix under racing conditions until Stroll crashed on lap 60.

As Perez rounded Rascasse and saw Stroll in the barriers, he fumed, “That is not his fault. I’ve been telling you all race long to clean that part of the track. It was always going to happen.”

Interestingly, both Leclerc and Stroll refused to blame the track conditions for their respective crashes. The Monegasque pointed the finger towards Ferrari’s brakes supplier, Brembo, while the Aston Martin driver blamed an engine braking issue.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton’s ‘massive’ complaints about Ferrari brakes resurface after Charles Leclerc crash

Despite the controversial final quarter of the race, Perez put on his best performance in Cadillac machinery so far on the streets of Monaco, taking the chequered flag in P11 and benefiting from a Nico Hulkenberg penalty to be promoted into P10.

However, the American constructor’s first point in the sport was later stripped from them, after Perez was slapped with a post-race 10-second penalty for being out of position at the restart.