Sergio Perez says his crash on the way to the Belgian Grand Prix grid on Sunday was his own mistake, but it was a misstep that could have happened to anyone according to the Red Bull driver.
Like his colleagues, Perez set out to join the grid amid horrendous conditions at Spa, but when Perez entered Les Combes, the Mexican lost it in the middle of the chicane and veered off into the barrier.
Although it was a low-speed impact, Perez could not extricate his RB16B as terminal damage to the car's front right corner left him stranded.
When the car was retrieved, Red Bull informed race control that Perez would be taking no further part in Sunday's proceedings due to the car's extensive damage.
However, the poor weather that had caused the Mexican's demise also threw him a lifeline, when the event's subsequent rain delay - and a consultation with the FIA - allowed Red Bull's crews to repair the stricken RB16B in time for the race's late restart.
Alas, it was a heroic but vain effort from the bulls whose hard labor was thwarted once again by Spa's relentless rainfall, while Perez, who had qualified P7, missed out on a few free points.
"The conditions were extremely hard, and with these wet tyres, things are very, very tricky, very slippery," explained Perez at the end of the day.
"It was my mistake, but it could well have happened to anyone out there."
Amid the botched afternoon of ups and downs, Perez highlighted this Red Bull crew's amazing job, even it was one that paid no dividends.
"My mistake was very costly, so in the end, we lost a couple of points there with my crash," he added.
"But I have to say, amazing job from my boys. They managed to turn the car around in a couple of minutes, and that was very impressive.
"It just shows the spirit that Red Bull Racing has and that’s very nice to see."
Red Bull's dedicated mechanics are no strangers to "turning a car around in a couple of minutes", as Perez says.
At last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, the bulls sprang into action to undertake a heavy nose job on Max Verstappen's car after the Dutchman had also veered off course during the wet formation lap.
©RedBull
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner echoed Perez's praise for his trusty bulls and their team work.
"Following Checo’s unfortunate trip into the barrier on the initial out lap, it was incredible to see our mechanics in action under pressure once again, fixing his car in the time they did, giving him every opportunity to race should we have been able to get out from behind the Safety Car," said Horner.
"It was a massive job as both sides of the suspension and the steering rack were damaged but it was very rewarding to see the teamwork with both sides of the garage working together to get it fixed."
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