It was a messy, chaotic start to the action under heavy rainfall at the Singapore Grand Prix, ending in retirement for both Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll after they collided less than one lap into the Sprint. Heavy rain delayed the proceedings before the 100km dash finally got underway in brutal conditions. Just as George Russell crashed out of the lead at the front near the end of the opening lap, trouble struck further down the order as well.
Replays captured the Aston Martin driver clashing with the Cadillac of Perez at Turn 16. The impact put Stroll immediately out of the event, while Perez managed to limp his battered machine back to the pits before ultimately retiring due to the accumulated damage.
The stewards naturally took a close look at the incident after the Sprint concluded, but ultimately decided that no further action needed to be taken. Their official view was that the driver of Car 18 took a reasonable line into the corner and therefore was not at fault.
Before the investigation's outcome was announced, Perez shared his frustration over a missed opportunity in the treacherous weather. "It was a big shame because it was a bit of an opportunity, although the race is pretty short," the Mexican explained, adding that he hoped for more wet conditions later in the weekend.
Detailing the crash from his perspective, Perez claimed, "I was on the inside into Turn 16 with Lance and I wasn’t expecting him to shut the door there. When he closed the door I tried to brake, but it was just too late. I ended up locking, and there was nothing I could have done."
Stroll offered a very different, brief perspective, admitting he had not yet reviewed what happened. "I don’t know exactly what happened. I got hit," the Canadian commented. When pushed on how difficult the torrential conditions had been to handle on track, he simply added, "Not so hard, I just got hit."
