For the second consecutive year it appears as if Mclaren has the closest and most exiting intra-team rivalry. Button is desperately searching to find another championship before he becomes too old, and Perez is trying to win his first. It's a recipe for either a disaster or a respectful fight for positions. This brings me to the main question of this article, which is was the aggressive driving of Perez justified or penalty-worthy?
From a rules standpoint, there was nothing directly wrong with it. There was no blocking, no ramming, and no spinning. However it is also true that many penalties are given for out of the box situations. There's no way to possibly predict and put rules on every questionable action in auto-racing, and that's a good thing.
Anyways, in terms of a team standpoint, it was dumb. Mclaren didn't distribute team orders which was a good call on their part, but their drivers battling is just dangerous and counterproductive because it shreds their tires. It shreds them in two ways actually. I discovered this when I was talking with a buddy of mine about this topic (sadly he doesn't have a G+) but he made a point that battling takes drivers out of their smooth 'zone'. It disrupts them and therefore messes with their ability to conserve tires to the best of their ability. Then of course there is also the fact that they have to move around more, hence covering more ground and using their tires more. It could have been argued as Button's fault however, because he could have let Perez by...
From looking at the contact it seems like it was just a string of 'racing incidents'. Minor touches and no real damage done to either side. In conclusion, I just think that it was a bit too aggressive but still legal. Plus, all that really matters to a driver is whether they get the position or not.
Here is a video from Mercedes AMG Petronas about risk management on the racetrack.
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