After the Formula 1 season of 2024, Perez had to leave Red Bull Racing, and since then, the former teammate of Max Verstappen has not been seen in the F1 paddock. However, his name made an unexpected and very remarkable return during the GP qualifying in Imola.

A message from the race control appeared, stating that an incident had occurred between Perez and Lando Norris. It was suggested that one driver might have blocked the other. However, the FIA stewards decided that the alleged incident did not need further investigation.

It's unclear how Perez's name could appear on screen, although there might be a possible explanation: At one point, Verstappen complained about a McLaren blocking his way. If drivers' names are linked to their numbers, it's possible that ‘11’ was entered by mistake instead of ‘1’, Perez's former number and Verstappen's current one. However, nothing official has been announced regarding this.