There was a first lap red flag at the Monaco Grand Prix due to a huge crash involving Sergio Checo Perez on lap 1.
Fortunately the Mexican was able to walk away unscathed in what was already a terrible weekend for him and Max Verstappen at Red Bull. But the image of a heavily damaged RB20 was quite the sight.
Checo Perez and Verstappen’s terrible weekend at Monaco GP
The “terrible” weekend, as the Mexican driver himself described it during qualifying, ended with a terrible crash at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, which had barely started.
The red flag was signaled without the F1 feed showing what had happened. Replays then showed a destroyed Red Bull smashed to pieces in the middle of the track, and it was Sergio Perez’s car.
The driver was already out of the car, indicating that he was out of danger, but seeing his RB20 totally destroyed, in a race that he started from 16th position, was something.
It comes after a weekend in which both he and three-time champion Max Verstappen suffered with the car. The Dutchman started sixth.
Checo Perez and his crash on lap 1 of the Monaco GP
Replays showed Magnussen crashed into the side of Sergio Perez on Lap 1 just seconds after the start of the race. The terrible impact also took Hulkenberg out, which brought out the red flag.
The anger from Red Bull with Christian Horner was visible as he believes Magnussen’s actions deserved a penalty, but the FIA decided differently.
Checo Perez upset with Magnussen, but no punishment from FIA
When you see the image of the crash you have to applaud Formula 1 and the safety protocols. The fact that the car of Checo Perez was totally destroyed on the track and there were no injuries was something to behold.
However, after the incident involving the three drivers, the stewards indicated that there would be no penalty for Magnussen, stating that it was a “racing incident.
