Perez to take F1 grid penalty in Austin for engine change

The Mexican is second overall, and only a point clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with four races remaining, in a championship already won by Dutch teammate Max Verstappen for the second year in a row.

Perez ended FP1 fifth quickest, four tenths down on teammate Max Verstappen, second on the timesheets, and six-tenths down on Ferrari's Carlos Sainz who topped the session.

Red Bull are hoping to clinch the 2022 Formula 1 constructors' world championship for the first time since 2013 at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.

For that not to happen in Texas, Ferrari need to score 19 points more than Red Bull.

The FIA said Perez had taken his fifth internal combustion engine of the season, which means a drop of five places from wherever he qualifies on Saturday but will also give him a fresher option for his home race in Mexico the weekend after.

Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou will also face a similar drop for the same reason.