For 49 of its 51 laps, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a tense, enthralling affair that slowly constructed as much as a boil because the race went on.
The 2-way battle for the lead between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc grew to become a three-way struggle with Sergio Perez placing the Ferrari driver underneath strain.
Then, Carlos Sainz Jnr started to reel within the main trio and finally bought inside DRS vary of Perez in third so as to add an additional dimension to the late battle.
Sadly, nevertheless, the race would finish in tears for each Perez and Sainz as they clashed at first of the penultimate lap, taking each drivers out of the race. The stewards investigated the incident however determined to not take any motion. However have been they proper to, or ought to both driver have taken the blame?
The way it occurred
Coming into the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, lap 50, Perez tried to move Charles Leclerc into flip one for second place. Perez took the skin line as Leclerc defended, permitting Sainz to take a tighter line on the exit and move the Crimson Bull.
Sainz then had a glance to the skin of Leclerc at flip two, which compromised his exit onto the straight main to show three and allowed Perez to tug alongside him on the exit. As the 2 ran side-by-side collectively, with Perez’s entrance wing half means alongside the Ferrari when the 2 touched wheels, sending each Perez and Sainz into the wall on the left-hand aspect of the circuit.
The crash instantly put each automobiles out of the race and scattered particles throughout the straight, with Valtteri Bottas having to decelerate and in avoidance and operating over particles in consequence. The Digital Security Automobile was finally deployed and the race completed underneath VSC circumstances on the finish of the following lap.
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What they stated
Within the automobiles
FOM performed clips of each drivers’ group radios on the world feed after the accident. Perez instructed race engineer Hugh Hen: “What the [censored by FOM]? Did you see what he did, man? What the [censored by FOM]? Does he crash or what? [Censored by FOM] fool.”
Sainz was baffled by how he had ended up being out of the race. “What occurred there?,” he requested. “What occurred? I don’t get it.”
After the crash
Talking after the race, Perez questioned if Sainz had drifted into him whereas making an attempt to get a profit from his group mate’s slipstream forward.
“I felt that, exiting flip two, there was loads of room between each automobiles, and inside a metre or two we find yourself making contact,” Perez stated.
“It’s very unlucky. All of it occurred too shortly. I feel Carlos was making an attempt to comply with the tow from Charles as he went to the within and that made issues actually arduous.”
Sainz remained at a loss for the way the 2 had ended up colliding.
“Once I exited flip two, Checo was on my left,” he defined. “We usually do a slight drift in the direction of the left into that lengthy straight, which I did like each different lap. For some cause, that I don’t perceive, Checo and I collided. Which is unlucky and clearly very disappointing.”
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The official verdict
Put up-race, the stewards investigated each drivers and after talking to the pair, determined no additional motion must be taken in opposition to both Perez or Sainz.
“Sainz handed Perez after flip one and was fully forward on the apex of flip two,” the stewards described of their resolution. “With a compromised exit by Sainz, Perez pulled to the within of Sainz. Sainz reported that he was conscious of Perez to his inside. Perez, being barely behind, was in a greater place to see the relative location of the automobiles. However as the 2 automobiles approached the wall on the suitable on the exit of flip two, they have been about [one metre] aside.
“From this level and all through the incident, neither driver steered erratically, and certainly each saved their steering very impartial.
“The stewards checked the driving line of the drivers on pervious laps. Sainz was on or near his regular racing line, which types a slight angle away from the suitable hand wall. From the exit to the purpose of contact he transfer roughly one automobile width additional away from the wall. Perez moved roughly half a automobile width additional away from the identical wall, being extra parallel to the suitable hand wall.
“It was thus obvious that whereas forward, and having the suitable to drive his line, Sainz did transfer barely in the direction of a automobile that he had restricted imaginative and prescient of. On the similar time, there was nothing uncommon about Perez’s line, however he might have carried out extra to keep away from the automobile that he had higher view of.
“In conclusion, the stewards deem this to be a racing incident with neither driver being predominantly at fault, and take no additional motion.”
Your verdict
Who do you suppose was liable for the collision? Ought to the stewards have issued a penalty? Forged your vote under and have your say within the feedback.
Who do you suppose was guilty for the collision between Perez and Sainz?
Sainz totally guilty (3%)
Sainz principally guilty (9%)
Each equally guilty (51%)
Perez principally guilty (26%)
Perez totally guilty (9%)
Whole Voters: 35
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