Sainz-Perez Crash and its Aftermath

This past weekend at Baku was very exciting for Formula One and its fans, to say the least. We witnessed some firsts for rookies, drivers making comebacks, and interesting interviews. There was of course a collision. It was between drivers Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Sergio Perez of Red Bull. Now because this crash took place in the 50th of 51 laps, there is some conversation circulating about the matter. Who was in the wrong, the Stewards’ rulings, and the damage it caused to each team were some of the topics in everyone's discussion. So what happened?

What Happened?

From the beginning of the race on Sunday, Perez was visibly better than his last few races. Max Verstappen, the other driver for Red Bull,  had shown improvement but was still having some issues with tire degradation. Perez started in fourth position right behind Carlos Sainz. This, however, did not last long as Sergio passed Carlos and was safe in third for a good portion of the race. Perez was on his way to first place. This would have been his first podium position since China in April this season. Sadly, his pace was ruined by a collision in the second to last lap. This is where Sainz and Perez battled for third on the first and second turn of the track, crashing on the second.

This crash has caused some discourse among fans of both teams. While both drivers state it is disappointing and unfortunate, they are placing no blame directly. Though their phrasing sounds like one believes the other is at fault and vice versa. Sainz believes Perez did not leave enough room and Perez believes he did. The Stewards decide that no one is at fault, it is a simple racing incident. Again, many fans disagree with this ruling. 

The Lead Up

As most Formula One fans are aware, the Red Bull team has been a little disappointing recently. Though, Ferrari has been pretty consistent this whole season. Receiving podium positions in the past four races, now. Now these podium positions have been Charles Leclerc, who placed second this weekend. So, where is Sainz in this? Sainz has not received a podium position since late June when he raced in Austria. The reason for this, I am not quite sure. With him falling short the past few races it would have been nice to see him take P3, passing up Perez, but we know this does not happen. 

Perez on the other hand, we know the origin of his struggles recently. He has not placed since April as mentioned above. This is due to the design of his car for the races since. At that time Red Bull lost their lead designer Adrian Newey. This is where the downfall began. The cars would be off balance for both drivers eventually, ruining the tires. Verstappen started having these issues a few races prior.  Since then the crew has been working on solutions in their new designs. This was the first race since addressing the issue, and clearly, there was some improvement. More so with Perez, but still some form of improvement for both drivers. With the upgraded cars Perez was headed for the podium and many believe he would have made first position.

Further Comments

Team president, Christian Horner, commented on the accident saying he believed Perez could have gotten to first but had a few mistakes early on that held him back. Horner goes on to talk about how the accident was very unfortunate and the overall race was a good performance. Verstappen comments later as well saying he believes Perez was not in the wrong at all. The only thing both teams can do now is to keep pushing for the 2024 title. Both have more than a good chance of winning the world championship and title.