Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez had an acrimonious end to their Azerbaijan GP with a massive crash into each other and ending up in the wall. Still, the duo were walking down side by side in the paddock after the race concluded. Seeing the two together an opportunist fan could not help themselves but click a selfie. The fact the two took each other out a lap before taking the chequered flag made the average photo hilarious.
Sainz and Perez were cordial and understanding enough to pose for the fan’s photo. Perhaps burning with anger still coming to grips with the outcome, there wasn’t a smile on either of their faces.
Regardless, that did not stop the enthusiastic fan from giving social media the hilarious click. The fan also coupled the photo with an equally hilarious caption. She wrote, “My friend and I after a discussion (that) almost ended our friendship.”
Still, the discussion around the crash and its after-effects for Red Bull and Ferrari has dominated the headlines. Sainz overtook Perez for P3 on the second last lap of the race with his teammate’s tires fading out and bringing him and Perez into contention.
Perez instantly tried to recover his position. However, when the two came side to side with the Red Bull man behind, a slight contact put them both into the wall on the opposite side.
This incident has split the F1 world’s opinion. Fans on X and several TV experts and pundits have deep-dived into the on-board footage of both drivers to analyze who’s to blame and why. Sky Sports F1 expert Karun Chandhok also tried to give an objective perspective on the incident.
Chandhok highlights who’s to blame in the Sainz-Perez collision
Many argue Sainz turned into Perez and the Mexican had the right to be on the racing line and get the tow from Charles Leclerc. While the other side of the discussion highlights Perez should’ve made avoiding maneuvers and moved to his left as he was behind the Spaniard. After the race, Chandhok shared his two cents on whether it was Sainz’s error or Perez was at fault for not taking evasive action.
He said, “I think unfortunately for Carlos, I think he’s got to take a little bit more of the blame there because he did move across on the left-hand side. They were super close and it’s not a place that you’d expect the incident to happen.” However, a day later, Chandhok took a more neutral stance via X to state that both drivers could have done more to avoid it.
“I think unfortunately for Carlos he’s got to take the blame for that”
Karun Chandhok takes a closer look at the crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez pic.twitter.com/ws9zSYrZnH
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 15, 2024
Luckily for both drivers, the stewards chalked off the collision as a racing incident with no penalties levied. However, this incident did mean Red Bull only picked up points via one car and is now trailing in the constructors’ standings by 20 points. On the other hand, even Ferrari lost crucial points to close in on the top two in the standings, with their deficit increasing.
