Pascal Wehrlein hits out at Jenson Button for 'silly move'
ByAutoSport
Updated 28/05/2017 at 17:40 GMT
Pascal Wehrlein hit out at Formula 1 returnee Jenson Button for what he called a "silly move" that led to their accident at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Wehrlein GP Monaco
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The duo collided at Portier near the end of the race when Button moved down the inside of Wehrlein, touching his right rear wheel and sending him into the wall.
Wehrlein's car flipped onto its side and ended up against the barriers, with the safety car being called so he could be retrieved from the car.
Wehrlein's helmet made contact with the barrier and the German said he will need to have a scan next week to make sure everything is fine following the back injury that led to him missing the first two races of the season.
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Pascal Wehrlein of Germany and Sauber F1 walks in the Pitlane during qualifying for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on May 27, 2017 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Image credit: Getty Images
"He was nowhere, clearly this corner is no place to overtake. It was a silly move," Wehrlein said. "I touched again the head on the barrier, so I will have to do another scan next week for my back. I could jump out myself, so it seems to be OK. Obviously with the injury I had, I'm not too sure.
"I remember everything [of the crash], it was just scary. The brakes started to smoke, I couldn't get out of the car but the only thing I wanted to do was get out of the car when you see the car starting to smoke."
Button said he realised too late that Wehrlein had not seen him.
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Race marshals lift the car of McLaren's British driver Jenson Button after he crashed with the car of Sauber's German driver Pascal Wehrlein (not pictured) during the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit, on May 28, 2017 in Monaco.
Image credit: Getty Images
"Obviously I thought it was on because [otherwise] I wouldn't have made the move," he said. "His tyres were completely gone as he came in on lap one - I thought I was well up the inside.
"As a racing driver it's difficult to just drive around and not have a go, so I had a go. I got alongside him, then I looked across and was like, 'he hasn't seen me at all'. These cars are so difficult to see out the back of, I've been telling the team and the FIA that this weekend. I tried to back out of it, but it was too late and we touched."
The Briton, in his one-off return to F1 to replace Fernando Alonso, admitted it was "horrible" to see Wehrlein's car stuck against the wall.
"I've never seen a car go up on its side before, I don't know if that's the way the tyre is or just unlucky, I don't know," he added.I asked as soon as I stopped the car and they said he got out on his own, which is good. I saw him earlier, he obviously wasn't happy but he seemed OK anyway."
Button was later given a grid penalty, even though h is unlikely to ever actually serve it.
A stewards' statement read: "Having reviewed all the angles of video, the stewards concluded that Wehrlein was on the racing line, and that the move Button made was unlikely to result in a clean pass.
"The stewards did not consider the consequences of the collision, which resulted from Button trying to brake at the last moment and Wehrlein's interlocked wheel causing the car to turn on its side."
Assessing that Button was "predominantly to blame", the stewards opted to give him a three-place grid penalty "for his next race this season".
Button was also handed two penalty points on his licence.
Force India's Sergio Perez also incurred a time penalty and penalty points on his licence for his late-race collision with Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat.
The time penalty of 10 seconds makes no difference to Perez's finishing position in Monaco, as he was the last driver to take the chequered flag after pitting with damage.
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MONACO - MAY 27: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Sahara Force India during qualifying for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on May 27, 2017 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
Image credit: Getty Images
Perez, running on fresh tyres late in the Monte Carlo race, attempted to pass Kvyat at Rascasse for ninth place with six laps to go but the move ended in a collision.
Kvyat, who retired on the spot while Perez pitted with damage, was furious with the Mexican driver after the race, calling the overtaking attempt "desperate" and "stupid".
After deliberations, the FIA stewards again decided that Perez was "predominantly to blame", opting for a 10s penalty and two penalty points on his licence.
Perez now carries a total of five penalty points, with the three points he had picked up in the 2016 Singapore GP for yellow flag infringements set to expire in September.
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