Sergio Perez expressed his frustration with Lewis Hamilton after their collision during the sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, which ultimately led to Perez’s retirement.
Hamilton attempted to overtake Perez on the exit of Stavelot after the Red Bull driver ran wide. However, they collided while side by side through Curve Paul Frere, resulting in a hole in the Red Bull’s bodywork due to the impact.
The collision had a significant impact on both drivers’ races. While Hamilton received a five-second penalty and dropped from fourth to seventh at the end of the sprint, Perez had to retire from the race due to the damage sustained in the incident.
Perez had been making a recovery from a lower position in the top 10, aiming for a podium finish. He was challenging Pierre Gasly while Hamilton was also in close proximity. However, as they both dealt with the challenging track conditions, the stewards determined that Hamilton was at fault for the collision.
Perez explained that the impact from Hamilton caused massive damage to his car, particularly the floor and sidepod, leading to a loss of grip and making it impossible for him to continue in the race. He described the incident as unfortunate and believed that Hamilton ran out of grip and was unable to stop his car, resulting in the collision.