Sainz and Perez F1 Azerbaijan GP crash deemed racing incident

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull Sergio Perez’s incident has been deemed as a racing incident after the two drivers crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Sainz and Perez’s crash on the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan GP has been deemed as a ‘racing incident’ which saw both drivers crash out of the race on lap 50. 

In the dying embers of the race, the fight was on for the podium. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in survival mode to keep his second-place finish but this came under threat by an attempted move by Perez into turn one.

The move failed which cost the Mexican momentum and he was quickly overtaken by Sainz. Heading into turn two, Leclerc was able to stay ahead of his Spanish teammate, but Sainz and Perez soon collided and crashed into the barrier. 

The investigation was soon dealt with by the stewards and both drivers, plus their team representatives were summoned to their office. The parties reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and in-car evidence. 

SAINZ AND PEREZ CRASH OUT! 💥 pic.twitter.com/MfXCoZeLVN

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 15, 2024

It was also highlighted that the steward reviewed ‘how the incident occurred, not the consequence.’ 

“Sainz reported that he was aware of Perez to his inside,” reported the Stewards. “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 reported that they had checked both of the driver’s lines on previous laps and found that Sainz was ‘on or close to’ his racing line which did pull away from the right-hand wall. They deemed there was nothing unusual about Perez’s racing line.

Who was at fault for the incident between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz?#F1 / #AzerbaijanGP

— Apex Motorsports (@ApexMSPRT) September 15, 2024

They also acknowledged that Sainz had moved slightly towards Perez, who the Spaniard had limited vision of. At the same time, they deemed the Mexican driver could have done more to avoid Sainz. 

In their conclusion, the stewards said: 

“In conclusion, the Stewards deem this to be a racing incident with neither driver being predominantly at fault, and take no further action.”

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Piastri takes Azerbaijan GP win as McLaren takes championship lead
• Hamilton and Ocon to start from F1 Azerbaijan GP pit lane
• Leclerc on Azerbaijan GP pole as Norris sees Q1 exit
• Russell set the pace in Azerbaijan GP FP3 despite red flags
• Verstappen fastest in disrupted FP1 at Azerbaijan GP
• Aston Martin F1 confirm Adrian Newey signing
• Adrian Newey’s future to be confirmed today?

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.