Norris Impressed By Collision With Perez As He 'Tried To Let Him Past'
F1Sunday, 26 November 2023 at 20:00
McLaren driver Lando Norris reacted to the collision with Sergio Perez during the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which resulted in a five-second penalty for the Red Bull driver.
The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been one of the cleanest races of the season. We have not seen a single virtual or regular safety car throughout the race.
The collision between Sergio Perez and Lando Norris was one of the biggest incidents of the Sunday race at Yas Marina Circuit.
It all happened 11 laps before the end of the race on lap 47 when Perez caught up with the McLaren driver and tried to pass him into turn six.
Turn six is a left-hand corner and Norris positioned his car on the right-hand side, so the outside of the corner, seemingly not putting up too much defense against the Red Bull driver.
Perez wanted to overtake down the inside but went slower and wider than Norris expected, and the two drivers ended up colliding mid-corner.
The incident seemed very strange, and it was hard to judge who was at fault, but stewards awarded Perez a five-second penalty for "causing a collision."
The five-second penalty set Perez back two positions at the end of the race, so he finished fourth right in front of Norris in fifth place.
McLaren driver shared his perspective on the incident after the race saying he was actually trying to let Red Bull F1 driver past him. He told the media:
"Oh, he was ahead. I was trying to let him past. I was on the right, I tried to let him past."
The 24-year-old seemed puzzled by the incident as, in his eyes, he actually wasn't putting up any resistance against the Perez's overtake and said it's impressive how they still managed to collide.
"I was like four car lengths away from the apex. And somehow, he's still crashing to me, so [that's] impressive. I literally tried to let him past and somehow he still crashed into me."
Disappointed Perez insulted stewards on the team radio after the race saying they are a joke and are not on Formula One level, as he obviously didn't agree with their decision. Do you the Mexican driver deserved the penalty?
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