In the race at Monaco, Sergio Perez from Red Bull and Kevin Magnussen collided while driving uphill towards Massenet. This caused Perez to crash heavily, leading to a red flag for the race. Nico Hulkenberg, who was following behind, also got involved in the accident when he couldn’t avoid Perez’s spinning car, ending the race for all three drivers.
Hulkenberg, speaking to Sky Germany, criticized the incident, calling it “stupid” and suggesting that both Perez and Magnussen could have avoided the crash. He mentioned that if he had been just a bit further ahead, he could have avoided the accident. He expressed disappointment because a lot of effort and time had been invested by everyone in the team, making the outcome frustrating.
When asked if he sympathized with Magnussen for going for a small gap on such a difficult track, Hulkenberg acknowledged the risk involved in racing but emphasized the need for calculated risks.
Magnussen defended his actions, stating that he expected Perez to leave room for one car on his right as the track was narrowing. He expressed regret over the crash, calling it a “shitty situation.”
Despite being close to a one-race ban due to accumulated penalty points, Magnussen was not penalized for the incident as the stewards deemed it a racing incident.
The race weekend was frustrating for Haas, with both drivers starting from the back of the grid due to rear wing inspection failures after qualifying.
Esteban Ocon retired from the race after colliding with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly at Portier. Ocon sustained rear-end damage, while Gasly was able to continue the race without major damage and finished in 10th place.
