In the closing stages of the race at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Perez accel😼erated past Bottas on the run down to the fas💎t Turn 10 right-hander.

The Mexican went wide through Turn 10, going over the white line on the exit, so was investigated by the stew꧙ards for potentially going off the track and gaining an advantage.

As a result of the investigation, Mercedes decided not to stop Bottas for🧸 a second time to get the fastest lap in hope that Perez would be given a penalty.

The stewards cleared Perez of any wrongdoing, stating: “The st🌺ewards determined that Perez had fully completed the pass on Bottas by the time he left the track at Turn 10. This made the fact that he left the track subsequently as a standard “track limits” question.

“The stewards det꧑ermined that Perez lost sufficient ground in the following turn that he could not be deemed to have ‘gained a lasting advantage’.”

Explaining the battle with Bottas, Perez said in the post-race press conference: “It was quite tricky because we were reaching the la🍒pped cars, with the DRS and the traffic ahead it was pretty hard.

“I went around him into Tur🍨n 10. I was already ahead, I tried to give him as much room as possible so that meant I went off the track. I came back and basically I had no advantage as thꦫe move was already done and it was mainly done to give him room and to avoid any possible contact at that point.”

Perez’s second consecutive podium has a🧔llowed Red Bull to extend its lead ꦅin the constructors’ championship over Mercedes to 37 points.

“We did a good strategy,” Perez added. “We went very long on that first stint, whicꩵh really paid out. We lacked a couple of lꦑaps to get Lewis as well.

“But it’s a good result for the team and it’s showing that definitely there’s 𓆏some good progress and we have to keep working on it to get this consis꧙tency and take another step very soon.”