{"id":296167,"date":"2023-10-31T23:24:27","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T23:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/?p=296167"},"modified":"2023-10-31T23:24:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T23:24:27","slug":"sergio-perez-defended-after-crashing-into-charles-leclerc-at-mexico-city-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/racing\/f1\/sergio-perez-defended-after-crashing-into-charles-leclerc-at-mexico-city-gp\/","title":{"rendered":"Sergio Perez defended after crashing into Charles Leclerc at Mexico City GP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen sent offer to quit Red Bull and join F1 rival keen to be his team-mate<\/h3>\n

Former F1 World champion Jenson Button has leapt to the defence of Sergio Perez after he collided with Charles\u00a0Leclerc on the first corner of the\u00a0Mexico City Grand Prix. Button believes the Red Bull driver was left with no alternative at the time, but has admitted Perez\u00a0\u201cdidn\u2019t judge the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incident occurred shortly after the cars left the starting grid, which saw Perez start from fifth and instantly rush towards the front of the pack. The Spanish driver made an early attempt to go around the outside of Leclerc on the first corner, only to clip the Ferrari’s front wheels and spin off the track.<\/p>\n

Perez’s car briefly flew into the air and balanced on one wheel after the impact before rolling off the circuit. The Red Bull car was able to make it to the pit lane but had sustained enough damage to force the driver to retire from the race.<\/p>\n

Following the incident, former F1 driver and 2009 world champion, Jenson Button claimed neither Perez nor Leclerc were at fault for the incident.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Three into one through here does not work. Charles had nowhere to go,” Button said via Sky Sports.\u00a0“I think Checo thought he had enough room for Charles on the inside, else he wouldn’t have turned in. He didn’t want to crash, but he just didn’t judge the situation of two cars inside him.<\/p>\n

“This is the issue when you have cars that start really well and cars that don’t start so well, and the drag is so long to Turn One. What is Checo supposed to do? He couldn’t just lift off before the corner and pull in behind because looking at that [replay] there were cars there. So they would have had the opportunity to drive down the outside of him and cause mayhem,<\/p>\n

“So it’s tricky but it’s when you get to that point of deciding ‘I’m going to turn in now but I need to give them room. Maybe I’ll just run off track a bit and come back on.'”<\/p>\n

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