F1 Stewards Rule Baku Incident Between Perez and Sainz as Racing Incident, No Penalties Imposed

F1 officials reveal decision on the collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz avoid penalties for the recent crash in Baku.

The Formula 1 stewards have declared that Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz will not face any additional penalties for their crash at the conclusion of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

In the second-to-last lap of the race, Perez and Sainz collided as they battled for a podium position. The impact sent both drivers crashing into the barriers at high speed on their way to Turn 3.

Red Bull's Perez was furious with Sainz, angrily calling him a "f****** idiot" over the team radio.

Although Red Bull appeared to hold Sainz responsible, the stewards saw the situation differently and decided not to penalize either driver.

How the officials assessed the situation

The Stewards listened to statements from Sergio Perez, who drives Car 11, and Carlos Sainz, who drives Car 55. They also consulted with team representatives and examined various pieces of evidence, including data from the positioning and marshalling systems, as well as video footage and recordings from inside the cars.

On lap 50, just after Turn 2, Sainz and Perez collided and crashed. This minor contact led to major repercussions. The Stewards examined the incident's cause rather than its outcome.

After making his way past Perez following the first turn, Sainz was fully in front as they reached the second turn's apex. Sainz's exit from the turn was not optimal, allowing Perez to move to Sainz's inside. Sainz acknowledged that he knew Perez was on his inside. Perez, trailing slightly, had a clearer view of the cars' positions relative to each other. As they neared the right-hand wall exiting Turn 2, the two cars were separated by approximately one meter.

From this moment onward and during the entire incident, both drivers maintained a steady course without any sudden movements. The Stewards reviewed the drivers' trajectories from earlier laps. Sainz adhered closely to his usual racing path, which deviates slightly from the right-hand wall.

From the exit to the contact point, he shifted about the width of one car further away from the wall. Perez, on the other hand, moved about half a car width further from the same wall, aligning himself more parallel to the right-hand wall.

It became clear that although Sainz was leading and entitled to choose his path, he slightly veered towards a vehicle that was partially out of his sight. Meanwhile, Perez maintained a normal trajectory but could have made a greater effort to steer clear of the car that was more visible to him.

To summarize, the Stewards have determined that this was a racing incident with no single driver primarily responsible, and therefore, no additional measures will be taken.

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