Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez have been at the helm of every headline following their collision at the Mexico City GP. While the Perez fans solely blame Leclerc for the local hero DNFing in the first lap of the race, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has a different take on the incident.
Speaking to the F1 media after the race (video uploaded on X By User ‘Nini’), the British engineer defended Leclerc from the hostility of the Perez fans, as he labeled the crash a “racing accident.” He added it was a shame to lose Checo as he had a great start and could’ve pushed for a podium finish in his home GP.
“You know Charles [Leclerc], I think you got to call it a ‘racing accident.’ Three into one never goes, and Checo was squeezing- Charles had nowhere to go, and contact was unfortunately made, and that was it.”
Heading into Turn 1 of Lap 1, Leclerc, Perez, and Verstappen found themselves in a three-way battle for the lead out of the turn. With Leclerc in the middle and Perez to his left, the right-hand turn meant Perez was too close to Leclerc, and his right rear tire rolled over Leclerc’s left front.
Addressing the incident, Perez said he saw a gap and went for it. Knowing it was a high-risk maneuver, the 33-year-old admitted to paying the price for taking the risk early on in the race. While Perez suffered a heartbreaking DNF in his home race, Leclerc did not see a penalty but had to suffer from the wrath of the fans.
Charles Leclerc had to endure the wrath of all Sergio Perez fans
Given that Perez is the most celebrated F1 driver of all time, knocking him out of the race in front of his home crowd was bound to get some reaction. Inevitably, Leclerc was at the receiving end of a host of boos from thousands of Perez fans. After the race, the Monegasque addressed the reception and termed it a little extreme and uncalled for.
However, the Ferrari driver remained unfazed by the demotivating behavior of the crowd and managed to cross the chequered flag in P3 behind race winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. By doing so, Leclerc also boosted his team’s chances of finishing in the top three of the constructor’s standings, with McLaren not being able to outrank either Ferrari car in Mexico. With only three races to go in the season, it looks highly unlikely that McLaren will be able to oust Ferrari from the top three, despite their recent rise in performance.
