WATCH: Sergio Perez goes into the gravel with Nico Hulkenberg after a horrific crash with Esteban Ocon

Nico Hulkenberg was caught in-between of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.

WATCH: Sergio Perez goes into the gravel with Nico Hulkenberg after a horrific crash with Esteban Ocon

Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg crashing out in Qatar GP Sprint. (via @vrwesley91/X)

The Sprint session in Qatar was one to watch. With the new track layout and increased tire wear, the drivers were struggling to keep their wheels on the track. After Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant’s DNF, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg got caught between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon in lap 12, damaging his front wing.

The former Alpine teammates were battling it out when at turn four they went three-wide with Nico Hulkenberg. Ocon had the inside edge while Perez went on the outside. Perez, with greater traction, was on the verge of overtaking Esteban Ocon and Hulkenberg. Ocon, in a bid to save his position, went for the outside and ran into Hulkenberg’s front wing and collided with Perez’s rear.

YouTube video

Sergio Perez and Ocon went into the gravel, while Hulkenberg somehow continued with a damaged front. Hulkenberg was heard on the radio, saying, “****, they sandwiched me!” 

FS Video

Hulkenberg also eventually had to retire due to the damages. In the process, Max Verstappen ended up becoming world champion as Perez got knocked out of the race.

Read more: Max Verstappen clinches his third consecutive F1 title at Qatar GP

“Sergio Perez is a fraud,” Fans go on a rant after Sergio Perez crashed with Nico Hulkenberg

Sergio Perez’s woes are not looking to end anytime soon. While he may be working hard to end his string of bad performances, it does not seem like it is going to happen in Qatar. Even though Perez was not much at fault in today’s incident with Ocon and Hulkenberg, Red Bull fans have once again put him under their target.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez. (Credits: IMAGO)

One user labeled him a fraud, saying that he has the driving skills of an old man with dementia. Another user said, “Sergio Perez needs to be banned from racing.” One fan said that Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, or Daniel Ricciardo could all do a better job than Perez in Red Bull.

One user joked that Perez was a good teammate for crashing out early and handing his teammate the world title. Another user posted, “I’m sorry but Sergio Perez is an absolute embarrassment.”

https://twitter.com/_FutboIOscar/status/1710715064984977867

Perez will start at P13 in tomorrow’s race. After a disappointing outing today, he will surely be looking to make amends tomorrow as he is now in a tough place to take P2 in the WDC standings. While Perez did not take any points, Lewis Hamilton who lurks behind on P3 in the standings is getting closer to him. With his P5 finish today and starting P3 on the grid tomorrow, Hamilton will surely be coming after Perez with all he’s got.

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