Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen were labelled ‘stupid’ by fellow Formula 1 driver for causing a ‘monster’ crash at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Lap one at Monte Carlo was a chaotic affair, with collisions between Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri, and Alpine teammates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
But it was a ‘monster’ crash between Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg that brought out out the red flag and stopped the race for 45 minutes.
After a disastrous qualifying, Red Bull’s Perez started 16th but after a poor start slipped right to the back where the two Haas’ were.
As they ran up the hill after turn one, Magnussen got his front wheels alongside Perez’s rear and neither driver was willing to yield despite the track narrowing, leading to pair making contact.
Both were sent hurtling into the walls at high speed, with a helpless Hulkenberg collected by both cars, with all three instantly out of the grand prix and debris scattered across the track.
The stewards investigated the incident but decided to classify the crash as a racing incident, though many felt Magnussen was lucky to escape punishment, especially with the Dane on the verge of a race ban.
Magnussen put the blame squarely at Perez’s door however, telling Sky Sports: ‘From my point of view, I had a good part of my front on Perez’s rear and when he went to the wall I got pushed to the wall and made contact with him.
‘I trusted he was going to leave space for me since I was there, it’s not a corner where you’re braking into it, it’s a bend on the straight so you have to have a car [width] otherwise you leave the other guy no option.
‘From my point of view, I was there and I got squeezed to the wall.’
He later added: ‘It’s not good to see both cars in one crash. It sucks. It’s a sh*tty, sh*tty situation.’
Teammate Hulkenberg had the best view of what caused the crash and initially took a more diplomatic approach: ‘It was a typical lap-one racing accident.
‘Two drivers who both didn’t want to bail out and didn’t give enough room on a tight track like Monaco, and I was the unlucky victim there.’
His mood turned later though, adding: ‘It was obviously stupid between Kevin and Checo [Perez].
‘I don’t know if Checo saw Kevin. Checo could have left space. At the same time, I think Kevin was also very optimistic about staying on there, where the track gets narrower and there are little kinks up to Turn 3.
‘I think unnecessary from both really, it could have been avoided easily. Obviously, for me, who wasn’t directly involved, it’s the sh*ttiest of all. I missed it probably by two-tenths.
‘If I would have been two times further up the road, he would have missed me. I’m gutted and disappointed because everyone in the team, we all invest a lot of energy and time and it’s just frustrating.’
More to follow…
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE : Max Verstappen makes bleak prediction after ‘jumping like a kangaroo’ in Monaco practice
MORE : Lewis Hamilton reacts after going fastest in Monaco Grand Prix practice
MORE : Lando Norris ramps up pressure in bid to sink Max Verstappen at Monaco Grand Prix
