Awkward scene between Sergio Perez & Carlos Sainz after crash: How stupid is F1?

The last podium places were decided on the last Formula 1 race weekend in Baku by a wild and somewhat clumsy accident. Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz got tangled up on a straight and veered into the wall. There was no penalty for this, but videos quickly circulated online of Perez marching up to Sainz, who was still sitting in the Ferrari, and giving him a slap.

The teams of both drivers also demanded frustrated penalties. It was an extremely frustrating situation for both of them. Especially for Perez, who had fought for a podium for the first time since April. But the “confrontation” between the two was nowhere near as dramatic as Sainz revealed on Thursday before the next race in Singapore.

First of all: Perez did not maliciously hit Sainz on the helmet. “I spoke to Carlos when he looked down, but I did not push his head, it looks worse on video,” said Perez. Sainz, who always takes his time getting out – regardless – added: “I think he used the time to say something irritating to me, which I couldn't hear anyway.”

It dawns on Perez and Sainz: Why aren’t we on the podium?

He didn't notice the slap at all. The further away they were from the crash, the more relaxed the atmosphere became. Both had to be taken to the media center for routine checks. “We sat awkwardly next to each other for 20 minutes, next to heart rate monitors that checked our vital functions,” Sainz describes. “We looked at each other and asked ourselves: what the hell happened?”

“And we both said: I don't know, but I swear I didn't mean to do anything bad, to cut you off,” said Sainz. “And after ten minutes it dawned on us: this sport is so stupid. How can we be here and not on the podium? We had the podium. Charles [Leclercs] Hard tyres went out in front of us. We had both overtaken him. And then we sit here and ask ourselves: how on earth did we manage that neither of us is on the podium?”

“As soon as we took our helmets off, we realised we had messed it up,” says Perez. “Carlos is one of my best friends in the group. He's the last person I want to have an accident with. I think we've put that behind us. Hopefully we can have a great race here now.”

Sainz & Perez are not asking questions, Red Bull has enough spare parts

“Ultimately, it was two wrong moves at the wrong time,” Perez sums up. “Who was to blame at that moment is irrelevant. In the end, neither of us had any points and we did a lot of damage to our team.” In the end, all they were left with was more bad jokes. Sainz guarantees: “No bad blood.”

Good news for Perez, who was pushed hard into the concrete wall, is that the crash has no technical consequences for Singapore. “I wasn't expecting to have the latest parts, but it looks like I will have them,” said Perez happily. In Baku, Red Bull had delivered new underbody panels, and both drivers had finally noticed a step in performance that had been urgently needed for weeks.