Did Sergio Perez really ‘confront’ Carlos Sainz in unseen Azerbaijan Grand Prix footage?

Sergio Perez lost a potential podium with his late-race Baku crash

Social media is awash with previously unseen footage of Sergio Perez confronting Carlos Sainz after their Baku crash, but did he shove the Ferrari driver?

Perez and Sainz crashed heavily on the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the rivals tussled over the final two podium places in a three-way fight with Charles Leclerc after Oscar Piastri had checked out in P1.

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed, but what happened next…

Coming out of Turn 2, Perez drew up the left side of Sainz’s Ferrari but on the drag down the long straight to Turn 3 they made contact that saw both cars spear into the wall on the left side of the track.

Sliding along the wall, they came to a halt entangled with both cars suffering heavy damage.

Perez let rip over the radio: “What the f**k is he doing man? What the f**k? Is he crazy or what? F***ing idiot.”

On Sainz’s part, he was more confused than angry. “What happened guys, what happened? I don’t get it.”

But what happened next is up for some debate on social media.

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Unseen footage from Perez’s onboard camera shows the Mexican driver walking up to Sainz, who was still sitting in his stricken Ferrari, before leaning towards him with his arms out in front of him. It was suggested by one X user that Perez had the “audacity to push Carlos’ head”.

However, in a case of two sides to every story, and two cameras, Sainz’s onboard shows Perez was actually standing closer to the Ferrari’s front right wheel than he was to the Spaniard when he leaned over. In other words, not within pushing range.

As for the arm movements, he momentarily gestured wildly before walking away.

That the two walked back into the paddock together side-by-side also suggests there was no altercation, even a push, in the mix.

It should also be noted that while Perez wasn’t happy with the crash, which he blamed on Sainz, he was by no means incensed when he spoke with the media a short while after.

“We basically exiting Turn 2 there was plenty of room between both cars and within a metre or two we ended up making contact,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate. It all happened too quickly.

“I think Carlos was trying to follow the tow from Charles as he went to the inside and that really made things really hard.”

As for the stewards, they ruled it was a “racing incident” in which “a small touch had significant consequences”. Their ruling added: “From the exit to the point of contact, he moved approximately one car width further away from the wall.

“Perez moved approximately half a car width further away from the same wall, being more parallel to the right-hand wall.

“It was thus apparent that while ahead, and having the right to drive his line, Sainz did move slightly towards a car that he had limited vision of. At the same time, there was nothing unusual about Perez’s line, but he could have done more to avoid the car that he had a better view of.

“In conclusion, the Stewards deem this to be a racing incident with neither driver being predominantly at fault, and take no further action.”

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