Kosport Magazine
Danish Driver Blames Perez for Monaco Crash
Magnussen’s disappointing performance at the Monaco Grand Prix was a result of a collision with Perez on the first lap of the race. Both drivers were forced to retire on the spot, ending their chances of any points.
According to Magnussen, the collision occurred due to a lack of room given by Perez, and he still cannot understand why the Mexican driver did not give him enough space on the track.
Even though he does not see Perez as a “dirty driver,” Magnussen was surprised by the lack of space given and believes it was a deliberate tactic to intimidate him into backing off.
He states, “That’s certainly not the way we should be racing. He can’t argue that he didn’t see me. He saw me. There’s no way around it. He did see me. So yeah, that is the reason I kept it flat – because I trusted that he would leave me the space since he’d seen me.”
Kosport Magazine
Kosport Magazine’s Take
After watching replays of the incident, Magnussen stands by his original verdict that Perez was mainly at fault. He believes that the normal post-race analysis can sometimes offer a different perspective, but in this case, his opinion remained the same.
He also explains that he would not have stayed alongside Perez if he was unsure that the Mexican was aware of his presence on the track. Despite trusting that Perez would leave enough room for both cars, Magnussen was let down by the lack of space given.
He states, “Maybe with my experience, I should have known that certain drivers don’t always leave a car-width. There is always a risk that they won’t.”
Magnussen also points out that once his front wheel was alongside Perez’s car, it was too late to back out safely. He was at the mercy of Perez’s driving, and even though he could see the Red Bull driver checking his mirrors, he did not give enough room for Magnussen to avoid a collision.
Kosport Magazine
Our Take
Kosport Magazine agrees with Magnussen’s assessment that the collision was mainly due to Perez’s lack of space given. In Formula 1, drivers should always leave a car-width when defending their position, and Perez’s tactics were questionable.
We also believe that Magnussen made the right decision to trust Perez and stay flat on the throttle, as he had every reason to believe that Perez had seen him. However, it was disappointing to see his race end so early due to another driver’s mistake.
We hope that incidents like these will be avoided in the future and that drivers will give each other the necessary space to race cleanly and safely.
