'WHAT THE F**K?'
Watch astonishing crash at end of Azerbaijan Grand Prix as F1 star Carlos Sainz appears to run rival into barrier
Race fans were left bamboozled by the crash
CARLOS SAINZ and Sergio Perez were involved in an astonishing crash late in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Ferrari and Red Bull stars collided with one another on the penultimate lap of the Baku City Circuit.
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Sainz, somehow, ended up pushing the Mexican into the barrier after returning to the track following a brief stint on the rumble stripes.
Perez was left fuming, shouting, “What the f***” over his team radio while Sainz asked, “What happened?”
After the race he said: Perez said: “It’s a real shame it happened and a disaster for the championships.
“For both of us to end our weekend like this when we definitely had a lot more on the table, it’s a disaster.
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“Carlos moved too quickly to follow the tow from Charles Leclerc.
“It was the wrong time, wrong moment and it resulted in a huge shunt.”
Ferrari driver Sainz played the incident down, insisting: “Honestly, a very unfortunate ending. I’m glad Checo and I are OK.
“I drove a solid race, very quick out there and the fastest man on track in the last 20 laps.
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“Unfortunately, after passing Checo into Turn One and after fighting Charles into Turn Two, there was a very unexpected contact exiting Turn Two that I still don’t understand how it happened.
“I didn’t do any erratic manoeuvres on Checo, any aggressive moving on Checo and I don’t understand.
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“We collided and that was the end. I didn’t do anything wrong or anything aggressive.”
F1 fans were dumbfounded by Sainz's antics as he vied for third place with Perez.
One wrote on X: "CARLOS SAINZ WHAT THE F**K WAS THAT???????"
Another said: "Carlos Sainz really said, 'F**k Mexico… viva Espana!'"
And another said: " Carlos Sainz, what a ridiculous way to drive."
One remarked: " Can’t handle the pressure, so you mess it all up."
The chaos between Perez and Sainz saw George Russell jump into third place behind Charles Leclerc in second.
Oscar Piastri ended up staging Lando Norris as McLaren soared into the lead of the Constructors’ Championship.
The result means McLaren now boasts a 20-point lead in the constructors' standings over Red Bull.
Norris put the disappointment of qualifying behind him to soar from P16 into fourth place ahead of Max Verstappen in fifth.
The Dutchman had another stinker, battling with grip problems and losing more faith in his Red Bull.
Norris, meanwhile, clawed back some of Verstappen's advantage and is now 59 points behind with seven races to go.
It was a heart-in-mouth battle between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who started on pole, and Aussie Piastri.
By lap 20 Piastri was leading the race after lunging on the inside of Leclerc to steal the P1 position, forcing the Monegasque into second where he stayed put.
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Lewis Hamilton did well to finish in ninth after starting from the pit lane after taking a new engine in Baku.
The seven-time world champion qualified in seventh for Mercedes but was penalised for exceeding his power unit allowance for the season.
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