Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who crashed into Mexican driver Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) during the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix while both were fighting for a podium finish, expressed mixed emotions after the incident. The race, the seventeenth of the Formula One World Championship, saw both drivers crash into the concrete barrier on the left side of the track.

"I'm happy that both of us are okay," Sainz said on Sunday at the Baku street circuit. "But I'm disappointed because I was the fastest on track in the last twenty laps."

Sainz, who had been close to securing his twenty-fourth podium finish in Formula One, admitted that the crash was a huge disappointment. "It was a tremendous shame; but the most important thing is that both 'Checo' and I are fine after hitting the concrete wall," said the 30-year-old Madrid native, who has three F1 victories, including one this season in Australia.

The Ferrari driver continued, "I'm also upset because the accident was frustrating. I stayed on my normal racing line and didn’t do anything unusual; I was driving the same way as every other lap, so I didn’t expect to be touched on my rear wheel."

Both Sainz and Pérez had to face the stewards to explain the accident. "That’s how racing goes; and this time, it was a shame because we lost a good handful of points. And that hurts. I was the fastest in the last twenty laps. But that’s racing. We need to move on and keep going," Sainz added. He remains fifth in the championship, now 129 points behind the 313 points held by leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who finished fifth in Baku.

"I was having a good race and was very quick. I believe a third or second place was possible, but it is what it is. We need to move on quickly and focus on Singapore," Sainz concluded, referring to the upcoming race at the Marina Bay Circuit, where he won last year.