Topics: George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Formula 1
George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri were left visibly stunned as they re-watched footage of the dramatic crash during the closing stages of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
On Sunday afternoon, McLaren star Piastri won the race around the Baku City Circuit after overtaking Ferrari’s Leclerc, who qualified on pole position.
Towards the end of the race, with just two laps to go, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez collided in dramatic fashion as they battled for third place.
The race had to be ended under the virtual safety car as Perez expressed his anger over the team radio. The Mexican blasted: “What the **** is he doing man?”
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Piastri ended up winning ahead of Leclerc and Mercedes driver Russell was handed a place on the podium as the result of the Sainz and Perez crash.
In the cool-down room, the top three drivers were shown a replay of the crash and the trio were left stunned.
Leclerc was seen with his hands over his face as Piastri said: “They’ve not been great friends this weekend and that’s the third time.”
The Australian added: “That finished the job.”
Speaking after the race, Russell said: “I was surprised the Safety Car didn't come out sooner at the end, those cars could have been anywhere. I'm glad everyone is OK.”
Piastri said: “After the stop it felt like we had a bit of extra grip and I had to go for it, I knew if I didn't get past at the start of the stint I was never going to get past.
“I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed and then hung on for dear life for the next laps. Once he dropped out of DRS it was a little bit more relaxing but there's no relaxing lap around here.”
He continued: “I think considering where we started when I joined the team last year, we were literally last and now we're leading the world championship. It's a credit to the team for the turnaround in the last 18 months ago, and they've improved me as well. It's a massive team effort and I'm excited to see what the future holds.”
