Two Ferrari fans were attacked in the stadium section during the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, after a collision between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc resulted in the home hero retiring.
Perez started his home race in fifth whilst Leclerc launched from pole position; however, it was the Mexican who made the best start.
A huge space opened up on the left-side of the circuit which the Red Bull driver quickly filled, with Leclerc having been left in the middle of the circuit on the run into Turn 1.
Perez was on Leclerc’s outside whilst Max Verstappen was on the Monegasque’s inside, prior to the moment which sent those in attendance into disbelief.
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It was simply a case of three into one didn’t go, with Perez’s right-rear tyre having clipped Leclerc’s front-left tyre and his front wing.
The impact sent the rear of Checo’s car skyward, before the floor took a huge blow as he landed back on the track surface.
Perez did extremely well to avoid going into the barrier but ultimately had too much damage to continue in the race.
The 33-year-old pulled into the pits at the end of the opening lap, where he retired to the huge disappointment of his supporters.
Fan footage on social media has shown that the Red Bull driver’s retirement didn’t go down well with some fans in the stadium section at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, as two Ferrari fans were attacked.
It’s unconfirmed whether the individual in the video who attacked the two Ferrari supporters was a Perez supporter; however, fellow fans in the grandstand were incredibly fast to pull the attacker away.
The clip of the attack was posted onto Instagram by F1wow, who slammed the attacker’s actions as “unacceptable”.
“Not sure if it’s 100% a Checo fan. But regardless this shouldn’t be happening,” wrote F1wow.
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“Imagine being attacked because of the team you support. We hope that the person in the video is okay, and that the attacker is dealt with. Unacceptable.”
The collision between Leclerc and Perez was investigated by the stewards but, as expected, it was judged purely as a racing incident.
Perez’s unfortunate retirement has hurt him in the Drivers’ Championship, as he sits in P2 by just 20 points now, after Lewis Hamilton finished second and secured the fastest lap.