The Azerbaijan GP in Baku ended with a disastrous racing incident that knocked the Spaniard from Ferrari and the Mexican from Red Bull out of the fight for the podium.
The incident between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz
A race that was unusually straightforward—at least by the chaotic standards of the Azerbaijan GP at the Baku circuit—ended under Virtual Safety Car. The neutralization, less than two laps from the checkered flag, was caused by the disastrous incident between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, which on one hand allowed Charles Leclerc to breathe a sigh of relief and maintain a second place that was at risk, and on the other hand rewarded a fortunate George Russell with a podium. The contact was under investigation by the stewards for a couple of hours, but no clear culprit was found.
The FIA stewards’ ruling
“Sainz and Perez,” read the official statement from the race stewards, led on this occasion by former British driver Johnny Herbert, “made contact and crashed shortly after Turn 2 on lap 50. It’s a situation where a small contact had significant consequences, but the stewards reviewed the incident, not the consequences. Carlos Sainz passed Sergio Perez after Turn 1 and was fully ahead at the apex of Turn 2, but with a slower exit than his rival, Perez went for the inside. Carlos Sainz reported that he noticed Perez on the inside, while Perez, being slightly behind, was in a better position to judge the whole situation. From the exit of Turn 2 and throughout the incident, neither driver made any irregular steering movements; in fact, both kept their steering neutral.
“The stewards also analyzed the trajectory in the previous laps, with Sainz following his normal racing line, slightly angled toward the right wall. From the exit of Turn 2 to the point of contact, Sainz moved away from the wall by about a car’s width, while Perez moved about half a car width, staying more parallel to the right wall. It is therefore clear that, despite being ahead and having the right to maintain his trajectory, Sainz slightly moved. At the same time, there was nothing unusual about Perez’s line, and he could have done more to avoid the contact with a car he had a better view of. In conclusion, the stewards consider this a racing incident where neither driver is predominantly at fault. No further action will be taken.” – he pointed out.
Carlos Sainz’s opinion
In short, while it’s true that Checo had a bit of room on his left, it’s also true that the two were very close after Turn 2, and that the disastrous incident was triggered by an almost imperceptible movement by Carlos during acceleration, perhaps trying to catch Charles Leclerc’s slipstream a few meters ahead. While waiting for the stewards’ decision, both drivers appeared at the interview ring for a quick comment on the event. “I’m not someone who likes to assign blame or make judgments without first going to the stewards,” Carlos Sainz explained to Sky, “but I know that this time I didn’t do anything wrong, bad, or dangerous.”
Sergio Perez explains the contact
The Mexican from Red Bull was a bit more talkative on the matter, having seen what could have been his best result since fourth place at the Miami GP slip away due to the incident: “We came out of Turn 2 with plenty of space between the two cars, and I didn’t expect Carlos to come inside so quickly. The problem was that he was slower than me, and we made contact quickly, tire to tire. It’s a real shame because Carlos is the last person I should have made contact with. And ending both our weekends like this is a disaster.” – the Mexican driver concluded.
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