What McLaren mechanics were heard saying after Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez’s crash in Baku

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Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez dramatically collided on the final lap of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The two drivers were battling for the final podium place when they were involved in the race-ending tangle.

Perez attacked Charles Leclerc, whose tyres were shot after a prolonged battle for the win with Oscar Piastri. That opened the door for Sainz to overtake the Red Bull driver.

Chasing a first podium since April, Perez tried to re-pass on the second DRS straight. But his front-right tyre touched Sainz’s rear-left, spearing both drivers into the wall.

An angry Perez immediately confronted Sainz, but the stewards decided that neither driver was predominantly to blame. As such, no penalty was awarded.

The crash saw the race end in virtual safety car conditions. Piastri won ahead of Leclerc, while George Russell stole the final podium spot.

It was a particularly significant blow for Red Bull in the constructors’ championship as Perez lost out on between 12 and 18 points and Lando Norris gained two places. The lead has changed hands for the first time since Spain 2022.

F1 microphones pick up what McLaren mechanics said after Sergio Perez hit Carlos Sainz

McLaren were the beneficiaries, establishing a 20-point advantage over Red Bull ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. F1 microphones captured the live reaction of their mechanics as they watched the drama unfold.

Broadcast by DAZN, the footage shows that the team anticipated a stoppage in the race. And they also quickly realised that the Sainz/Perez incident would play into their hands.

“There’s been a shunt, there’s been a shunt!” one mechanic exclaimed as he heard the roar of the crowd in the distance.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

“That’s a red flag every day of the week,” another said after watching the crash on the TV screens in the garage.

“That’s good for us!” a third mechanic added as Norris picked his way through the debris and gained two positions.

McLaren haven’t led the standings since the aftermath of the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification handed them a double podium that day with Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button.

Oscar Piastri ignored McLaren ‘begging’ before winning Azerbaijan Grand Prix

While much has been made of McLaren’s missed opportunities this year, they’re unquestionably the form team in F1. They’ve now won three of the last five races, with Piastri responsible for two of those victories.

He’d already streaked clear of Leclerc by the time the virtual safety car was deployed. But he was at least able to relax for the final two laps.

Sitting in the cooldown room, Piastri reacted to Sainz and Perez’s crash, noting that they hadn’t been ‘great friends’ all weekend. They had narrowly avoided contact in practice when the Red Bull driver was on a fast lap.

The race winner was focused on the other Ferrari for much of the afternoon as he fended off multiple attacks. Piastri ignored race engineer Tom Stallard, who ‘begged’ him to bring his tyres in gently, because he sensed that the opportunity to pass Leclerc was at the start of his second stint.