During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez crashed in round 50. Both drivers were summoned by the stewards after the race, but ultimately, no penalties were issued. Both Sainz and Pérez have shared their perspectives on the incident.
Sergio Pérez: ‘It Happened Very Quickly’
Pérez stated that he believed there was sufficient space between the two cars at the time of the incident. Sergio Pérez mentioned, “We actually felt that there was enough space between the cars, but after a meter or two, we hit each other,” said the Mexican driver. He emphasized how quickly everything happened. “Carlos probably followed Charles’ slipstream and moved to the inside, which made everything more difficult.”
Despite the crash, Pérez also saw positive aspects: “We had the speed to fight for the win. We need to maintain this momentum and hopefully, we can perform strongly in the upcoming races.”
Carlos Sainz: ‘In my view, I did nothing wrong’
Carlos Sainz described the incident as a series of unfortunate events. “I was driving at nearly 300km/h, so the impact was far from ideal. I had just overtaken Sergio in turn 1 and was attacking Charles Leclerc in turn 2. As I exited that turn, Sergio was on my left. Normally, we drift slightly to the left on the straight, which I did as in every round. But for some reason, Sergio and I collided.”
Sainz expressed his disappointment but refrained from pointing fingers. “We’ve already discussed it, but we need to analyze the incident thoroughly. I’m not one to blame another driver or look for excuses. My feeling is that I did nothing wrong.”
Stewards’ Verdict: ‘No punishable behavior’
The stewards carefully analyzed the crash and concluded that neither driver deserved a penalty. According to the stewards, the cars were about a meter apart at the time of the incident, and there was no evidence of faulty or reckless driving.
