Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Cleared by F1 Stewards After Dramatic Baku Clash

F1 officials declare decision on Sergio Perez-Carlos Sainz collision

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz avoid sanctions following their collision towards the end of the race in Baku.

Formula 1 officials have declared that Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz will not face any additional penalties or consequences following their incident at the conclusion of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Perez and Sainz collided during the second-to-last lap of the competition as they vied for a podium position. The clash caused both drivers to crash into the barriers at a high velocity, resulting in a significant accident as they approached Turn 3.

Red Bull racer Perez was infuriated with Sainz, asserting via the team radio that the Spaniard was a “complete idiot.”

Although it appeared that Red Bull was attributing fault to Sainz, the stewards decided otherwise and chose not to penalize either of the drivers.

The perspective of the stewards on the event

The panel spoke with the driver of Car 11 (Sergio Perez), the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), representatives from the teams, and examined data from the positioning/marshalling system, footage, and in-car camera recordings.

Sainz and Perez collided and went off the track just beyond Turn 2 on the 50th lap. This incident illustrates how a minor collision can lead to major outcomes. The Stewards examined the circumstances leading up to the crash, rather than the results of it.

Sainz overtook Perez just after the first turn and had fully moved in front by the time they reached the peak of the second turn. However, Sainz didn't exit the turn smoothly, allowing Perez to move closer on Sainz's inside. Sainz acknowledged he knew Perez was on his inside. Perez, trailing just a bit, had a clearer view of the positions of both vehicles. Yet, as they neared the wall on the right side exiting Turn 2, the gap between them was roughly one meter.

Throughout the entire incident, neither of the drivers engaged in erratic steering, maintaining a very stable direction instead. The Stewards reviewed the drivers' trajectories on previous laps and found that Sainz consistently followed or nearly followed his usual racing path, which veers slightly away from the wall on the right side.

Exiting the turn, he shifted about the width of a car further from the barrier. In comparison, Perez adjusted his position, moving roughly half the width of a car away, aligning more closely parallel to the right-side barrier.

Therefore, it became clear that although Sainz was in front and entitled to steer his course, he did veer slightly towards a vehicle that was not fully visible to him. Concurrently, Perez's trajectory was not out of the ordinary, yet he might have taken further actions to steer clear of the vehicle he had a clearer sight of.

In summary, the Officials have determined this event to be a racing incident without assigning primary blame to either driver, and have decided not to pursue any further action.

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