F1 News: Kevin Magnussen Loses Trust in Sergio Perez After Monaco Crash

The picturesque streets of Monaco took a dramatic turn during the Monaco Grand Prix when Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez collided on the first lap, ending both of their races early. Now, as we approach the Canadian Grand Prix, the Haas driver has admitted that he has lost his trust in Perez, a driver he "trusted" to leave him space.

In a candid revelation during an interview in Montreal, the Danish driver dissected the incident, expressing his diminished trust in Perez's racing conduct, despite not viewing him as a fundamentally unfair competitor.

"I don't see Checo as a dirty driver or anything, but I was surprised that he didn't leave me the room. Clearly, he was just pushing me to the wall to intimidate me and have me back out. But that's certainly not the way we should be racing," Magnussen explained to the press in Canada, quoted by Motorsport.com.

Magnussen, who reviewed the race footage multiple times, maintained his stance that Perez was predominantly at fault, as he had failed to provide sufficient space. His decision to hold his line was predicated on the firm belief that Perez had acknowledged his presence.

“He can't argue that he didn't see me. He saw me. There's no way around it. He did see me. So yeah, that is the reason I kept it flat - because I trusted that he would leave me the space since he'd seen me,” said Magnussen. “I've looked at it many times, It's always one thing right when it happens, but your view of what happens often changes when you see it from the outside. But in this case, it didn't change so much.

“He had seen me, and I knew he had seen me, It’s one thing if you're not sure he's seen you, then I perceive the risk as being bigger."

Describing the intense moment of the crash, Magnussen highlighted the limited options available to him as the RB20 edged closer to his as they raced up the straight.

“If I wasn't sure that he's seen me, I probably would have just backed off. But it was very clear to me that he had seen me. So, I thought okay, he's going to leave a car width. I trusted that he was going to do that – in hindsight, I shouldn't have trusted him.

But that doesn't change the fact that he didn't leave a car width. Maybe with my experience, I should have known that certain drivers don't always leave a car width. There is always a risk that they won't.”

You get to a point where you're so close to the wall, and his rear wheel comes out, so you're locked in - because if you brake then, he's going to hit your front wheel with his rear.

"There is a point of no return and you're at his mercy. Leading up to that, I had full confidence that he had seen me because as soon as I got that momentum, he went to the right to cover me."

The Danish driver also noted Perez’s head movements and repeated mirror checks just before the crash, reinforcing his perspective that Perez was fully aware of his position.

“You can see his head. You know, he's seen me - there's no doubt. I can go and look at his onboard afterward - and I can see that he's checking his mirror several times. Had I not been confident that he'd seen me, I would have probably backed out,” he added.