Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz collided in the late stages of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The dramatic late crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz was investigated by the FIA stewards in Azerbaijan.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz came to blows on the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as the pair duelled over the podium places in a scrap with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz clash at high speed
Perez had been calmly stalking Charles Leclerc for most of the race and had latched on for a full-on assault into Turn 1 as the drivers began Lap 50.
Leclerc kept his line on the inside to force Perez a little wide through Turn 1, opening the door for Carlos Sainz – directly behind – to wrong-foot the Mexican driver.
Negotiating Turn 2, Perez and Sainz were set for a drag race down the long straight to Turn 3 when the pair made contact – Perez’s right front wheel lightly touching the left-rear corner of Sainz’s Ferrari.
The contact resulted in the pair spearing off heavily into the concrete walls, with a furious Perez taking to the team radio to exclaim “What the f**k did he do, man? Is he crazy or what?! F**king idiot!”
Sainz was confused by the accident, saying: “What happened there? What happened? [I’m OK], but I don’t get it.”
The two drivers were summoned to see the stewards to explain their view on the crash, which marked the third occasion the two drivers had to go to the stewards together over the weekend following two separate blocking incidents through Friday and Saturday.
What verdict did the FIA stewards reach in Sergio Perez/Carlos Sainz investigation?
Following the investigation, the stewards opted against taking any further action against either driver as their verdict explained why.
“This is a situation where a small touch had significant consequences,” said the stewards.
“The Stewards reviewed how the incident occurred, not the consequence.
“Sainz passed Perez after Turn 1 and was completely ahead at the apex of Turn 2. With a compromised exit by Sainz, Perez pulled to the inside of Sainz.
“Sainz reported that he was aware of Perez to his inside. Perez, being slightly behind, was in a better position to see the relative location of the cars. But, as the two cars approached the wall on the right at the exit of Turn 2, they were about 1m apart.
“From this point and throughout the incident, neither driver steered erratically, and indeed both kept their steering very neutral.
“The Stewards checked the driving line of the drivers on previous laps. Sainz was on or close to his normal racing line, which forms a slight angle away from the right-hand wall.
“From the exit to the point of contact, he moved approximately one car width further away from the wall. Perez moved approximately half a car width further away from the same wall, being more parallel to the right-hand wall.
“It was thus apparent that while ahead, and having the right to drive his line, Sainz did move slightly towards a car that he had limited vision of. At the same time, there was nothing unusual about Perez’s line, but he could have done more to avoid the car that he had a better view of.
“In conclusion, the Stewards deem this to be a racing incident with neither driver being predominantly at fault, and take no further action.”
Christian Horner had earlier expressed that he believed Sainz should take a penalty for the incident, saying he would be “disappointed” if the Spaniard went without punishment.
The crash marked a disappointing end to what had been a resurgent race for Perez, who looked set for his first podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix after leading the Red Bull charge throughout the weekend.
Separately, several Virtual Safety Car infringements are under investigation – Max Verstappen is one of the drivers on the list, while McLaren is also being investigated for a pitlane infringement.