Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen’s involvement in a major crash led to the red-flagging of the Monaco Grand Prix, causing extensive delays and necessitating barrier repairs. The incident has stirred commentary from several former F1 drivers. It’s been confirmed that the incident isn’t being investigated by the stewards.
Former F1 driver Jenson Button expressed astonishment at Perez’s decision-making during the incident, suggesting that both drivers failed to give each other sufficient space. His verdict leaned towards labeling the incident as a racing accident, with the stewards agreeing.
“It’s surprising [Perez] knew [Magnussen] was there and didn’t move to the left a little bit more. It was a horrible impact and because you’re going at such a high speed there you end up about 300 metres away from the incident.
“It’s a real strange one. You’ve got to say both guys should have given each other more room. Is it a racing incident? It kind of is because Checo knew Kevin was there and maybe should have given him a little bit more room, but if a car is coming to the right doing 150mph, I’d back out,” he said, questioning the Mexican driver’s choices here.
Nico Hulkenberg, Magnussen’s teammate, bluntly criticized the decision to compete for space in such tight quarters, dismissing the move as “unnecessary.” His comment underscored frustrations within Haas over the risky move that has now left Magnussen teetering dangerously close to a race suspension, with a tally of 10 penalty points, just two shy of the threshold that triggers a race ban.
