Max Verstappen believes his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez crashed out of the Mexican Grand Prix because he was overexcited by the prospect of finishing on the podium at his home race. Perez tried to brake last as he arrived on the inside of the first bend alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the centre and Verstappen on the outside. His Red Bull slammed into Leclerc and leapt into the air before coming down in the run-off area. He managed to crawl round to the pitlane, and Red Bull mechanics soon had him back on the road, but they threw in the towel after only five more laps. Verstappen went on to win his 51st race as Perez watched on from the garage. “I mean, I understand because it’s his home Grand Prix,” Verstappen said, assessing the crash. “You want to be on the podium, I fully understand that. “He went around the outside, and he tried. Looking at the footage, I think he could have left a little bit more space, but at the other end if it would have worked, you know, you look amazing. And of course, I think it’s just more like that excitement of wanting to be on the podium and this time it didn’t work out, unfortunately.” Verstappen added: “At the time, I didn’t really see a lot. At one point, I just saw that a car was a bit flying in the air, but then I saw the footage after the race and then you can comment on it. But while driving it’s a bit hard because I was mainly focusing on Charles, because I couldn’t see what was happening on the outside.” Perez’s position at Red Bull has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and his performance in Mexico will only have added to speculation that his seat may be going to Daniel Ricciardo next season. Perez last won a race in Azerbaijan on 30 April, and his failure to finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez leaves his second place in the championship under threat from Hamilton. Indeed, the seven-time world champion reduced the gap from 39 points to 20 with his strong display. TOP-10 - MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 1) Max Verstappen 2) Lewis Hamilton (+ fastest lap) 3) Charles Leclerc 4) Carlos Sainz 5) Lando Norris 6) George Russell 7) Daniel Ricciardo 8) Oscar Piastri 9) Alex Albon 10) Esteban Ocon Perez told DAZN after the race: “I’m sad without a doubt because today was my opportunity. I had a very good start and I was only thinking of winning the race. I didn’t want to be on the podium. I’ve been on the podium two years in a row. “I saw the opportunity and I went for it. In hindsight, I took a risk, but if I had pulled it off I would have come out of Turn 1 in the lead. I didn’t expect Charles to brake so late since he was the car in the middle. He had a lot less margin than Max, who was on the inside, and I was the one who could brake the latest because I was on the outside.” Read More Christian Horner drops Daniel Ricciardo hint as pressure mounts on Sergio Perez Kevin Magnussen’s car catches fire after high-speed crash in Mexico F1 fan banned for life after attacking Ferrari supporters in Mexico

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Police have released the 911 call made by the father of the Jacksonville gunman who murdered three Black people in a racist attack. Ryan Palmeter killed Anolt Laguerre Jr, 19, Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29, and 52 year-old Angela Carr with a na AR-15 rifle and handgun that he had covered in Nazi swastikas. The 62-year-old father of Palmeter can be heard telling an emergency dispatcher that his son has stopped taking his psychiatric medicine. Earlier it was revealed tat the gunman may have originally planned to target a different store. Surveillance footage shows the gunman arriving at a Family Dollar store at around 12.23pm on Saturday. Dressed in a mask, he held the door open for Black customers entering and exiting and briefly entered but then left without carrying out an attack. Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters told reporters in a press conference that the shooter, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter, then went to Edwards Waters University where he was turned away by a security guard. He then went to the Dollar General store – around a mile from the first store – where he shot and killed three people: Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr, 19, and Jarrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29. As details emerge about the shooting, governor Ron DeSantis has come under fire in the wake of the gun violence in the state where he has loosened gun laws. At a vigil on Sunday, the crowd booed Mr DeSantis, forcing him to step back from the microphone. Read More Ron DeSantis didn’t listen. No wonder Jacksonville booed him A white gunman killed three Black shoppers at Dollar General. Then police uncovered ‘the diary of a madman’ Harrowing video shows Jacksonville shooter launching rampage at Dollar General The Jacksonville shooting killed a devoted dad, a beloved mom and a teen helping support his family

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