Fuming Sergio Perez swears over team radio after crashing out with Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed out on the final lap in Baku.
Sergio Perez was left furious with Carlos Sainz after they took each other out with less than a lap remaining at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. A dramatic battle for a podium spot ended in disaster for both drivers, with Perez digging out Sainz for supposedly overstepping the mark.
The two rivals were chasing down Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, who was in the lead, as they crossed the line to begin their final lap. Perez tried a move down the inside of Leclerc into Turn One but was unable to make it stick, with Sainz passing him on the exit.
Perez, sensing that a podium finish was slipping away, dived down the inside of Sainz before tangling with the Ferrari man on the following straight. They both ended up in the barriers with significant damage to their cars, allowing George Russell to sneak into third place.
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It was not immediately clear who was at fault but Perez was convinced that Sainz was the guilty party. Venting his fury over team radio, he screamed: "What the f**k is he doing? What happened there? Are you crazy or what? What an idiot!"
Sainz, meanwhile, seemed perplexed by the incident as he asked his race engineer: "What happened there? What happened?" He was then asked if he was physically okay and replied: "Yeah, but I don't get it."
It was quickly confirmed by the stewards that the crash would be investigated after the race, which was won by Piastri. The McLaren driver passed Leclerc early on before keeping him at arm's length for the remainder of the contest.
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Speaking after the chequered flag, Piastri said: "I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed and then hung on for dear life for the next laps. Once he dropped out of DRS it was a little bit more relaxing but there's no relaxing lap around here.
"It definitely goes down as one of the better races of my career, I think, considering where we started when I joined the team last year. We were literally last and now we're leading the [Constructors'] Championship.
"It's a credit to the team for the turnaround in the last 18 months and they've improved me as well. It's a massive team effort and I'm excited to see what the future holds."
