Sergio Perez has crashed out of the Monaco Grand Prix after a horrific smash on the first lap.
The Red Bull driver was struck by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and saw his car lose three wheels and a serious amount of debris on the track, forcing the race into a red flag.
Miraculously, Perez managed to walk away from the car despite going at close to 150mph at the time of the collision.
It appeared that Haas driver Magnussen, starting at the back with his partner, tagged Perez, leading to the crash.
The Dane was going at such a speed that it turned Perez’s car and trapped it on the front, eroding it on the barrier in the process.
Perez was left helpless as a result, left spinning in his car and ending up nearly 300 metres away from the initial collision.
His teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who was also caught up in the crash, insisted that it was “unnecessary”, trying such an aggressive tactic early in the race when they were already at the end of the grid.
Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle agreed on commentary, saying: “It was unnecessary from Kevin Magnussen to keep his car there.
“There was a moment when K-Mag should have abandoned that.
“It was not worth the risk up there. You are fighting at the back against a Red Bull when you are not anywhere near alongside.”
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With all the drivers back in the paddock, it took almost 20 minutes before the race resumed and it was a fine job to clean up the debris after Perez’s car was nearly completely destroyed.
Carlos Sainz, who suffered a puncture at the same time, has been allowed to resume meaning the Perez, Magnussen and Hulkenberg are the only three ruled out of the race.
More to follow…
