- Perez emerged unscathed from the 160 mph crash on the first lap.
- The Mexican’s Red Bull was practically destroyed in an incident with the two Haas
- Four cars were unable to restart after the crazy first lap of the race.
Sergio Pérez emerged unscathed from a huge crash at 250 km/h in a crazy first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mexican, who started 16th, was touched by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas uphill after the first corner, Sainte Devote. The Dane’s left front hit Pérez’s right rear, sending the latter into the barriers.
Perez then took on Nico Hulkenberg’s other Haas in a dramatic pinball action that brought out a red flag as the debris was cleared.
Pérez’s Red Bull was practically destroyed and only one wheel remained, although the monocoque protected the driver from physical damage.
They all came out without obvious injuries.
Sergio Pérez’s car was practically destroyed after an accident on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Only one wheel remained on Perez’s car after the collision with Kevin Magnussen.
A red flag was waved following the accident in a dramatic start to the Grand Prix.
In a crazy start, the two Alpines tangled, sending Esteban Ocon airborne at the tunnel entrance. He landed safely and continued until the race was suspended.
Carlos Sainz, third with Ferrari, stopped at Casino Square after appearing to go in too deep.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was leading from pole and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was second before the stop.
The stewards took no action in the Perez-Magnussen-Hulkenberg collision, and rightly so in a race incident on the first lap (where the stewards attempted to be more lenient).
Ocon received a 10-second penalty, but under no circumstances did he restart the race.
The race resumed at 2:46 p.m. (3:46 p.m. local time) after debris was cleared from the circuit.
The stewards confirmed that Sainz would return third on the restart, as the drivers had not made enough progress on the first lap to establish a new order.
The race resumed without Pérez, Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Ocon after the crash.
The remains of Pérez’s car were sent around the circuit after the collision with Magnussen.
Race stewards cleared the track after the race was red-flagged following the accident on the first lap.
Stewards were forced to clear a significant amount of debris before racing could resume.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former world champion Jenson Button suggested Perez and Magnussen should have given each other more space.
“It’s surprising that (Perez) knew (Magnussen) was there and didn’t move a little further to the left,” Button said.
“It was a horrible impact and because you are going at such a high speed you ended up about 300 meters from the incident.
It’s really strange. You have to say they both should have given each other more space.
‘Is it a racing incident? In a way it’s because Checo knew Kevin was there and maybe I should have given him a little more space, but if a car was coming to the right at 150 mph, he’d pull me out.’
