In the high-octane world of Formula 1, where the cars are fast and the lights are plentiful, Sergio Perez seems to be engaging in a bit of a playground game, albeit with higher stakes. Fresh from his latest escapade at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, our man Sergio finds himself a mere stone’s throw away from a race ban, collecting penalty points like they’re going out of fashion.

The stewards, after donning their finest detective hats and scrutinizing the footage with all the intensity of a cat watching a laser pointer, found Perez guilty of what is essentially being a bit too eager to leave his pit box. The verdict? “Car 11 [that’s our Sergio] was released from a pit stop in an unsafe manner,” they declared with the gravity of announcing a verdict in court. To add a dash of drama, Fernando Alonso had to perform an impromptu ballet move in his car to avoid kissing bumpers with Perez.

The pièce de résistance of this motorsport spectacle was when Perez, in a move that would have made a novice driver blush, ignored a red light at the pit exit. Yes, the universal symbol for ‘stop’, ‘cease’, or ‘don’t even think about it’.

Sergio’s response to this? A rueful shrug and a “it’s a shame about the penalty, but hey, didn’t ruin my day”. In what might be the understatement of the century, he mused that a wider pit lane would solve all his problems. Because of course, it’s the pit lane’s fault, not the guy trying to beat the red light as if it were a game of Mario Kart.

Despite his close shave with disaster, Perez sailed to a second-place finish, keeping a safe distance from Charles Leclerc, and ensuring that the five-second penalty he received was as impactful as a chocolate teapot.

But here’s the kicker - our fearless racer is amassing penalty points faster than a squirrel hoards nuts for the winter. With eight points in his pocket from the last ten rounds, Sergio is dangerously close to a race ban. A look back at his escapades reveals a litany of penalties for collisions and overtaking misdemeanours, painting a picture of a man who lives life on the edge, if that edge was the rulebook.

So, dear readers, as Sergio Perez dances his dangerous dance with the rules, we’re left to wonder - will he reign in his rebellious streak, or will we see him forced to take a race weekend off for a bit of quiet reflection?