Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner BLASTS Ferrari's Carlos Sainz for damaging title chances

Red Bull

Horner BLASTS Ferrari star for damaging Red Bull title chances

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz collided in the final stages in Baku

Kevin McKenna

Friday 20 September 2024 10:57 Updated: 20:18

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Red Bull boss Christian Horner has launched a scathing attack on one of Ferrari's star drivers for striking a blow to his team's world title chances.

The reigning Formula 1 constructors' champions have been replaced at the top of the 2024 standings by McLaren, following last weekend's thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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Oscar Piastri drove superbly on the streets of Baku to take a second career victory, while Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez once again suffered disappointing results, compounding Red Bull's struggles.

Lando Norris pipped drivers' title rival Verstappen to fourth, as he closed the gap at the top of the standings ahead of this weekend's Singapore GP.

Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez crashed out in Baku

Max Verstappen could only finish fifth on a disappointing day

Perez's race 'destroyed' by rival

A crash between Perez and Carlos Sainz dominated the post-race discussion, with each driver blaming the other for a crash on the penultimate lap that left them both point-less.

It was a particularly devastating blow for Perez, who has failed to feature on the podium since April's Chinese GP, but looked odds-on to do just that in Baku until the collision with Sainz.

It was another miserable afternoon for Christian Horner and Red Bull

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Horner laid the blame firmly at Sainz's door, and lamented the points lost in their ongoing fight to retain their constructors' crown.

“He deserved a lot more," said Horner. "I was just looking at the replay and you can see Carlos start to drift across the circuit.

"So, very disappointing, he should at the very least have been on the podium today.

"It has destroyed the race for Checo today, cost us a lot of damage and obviously vital points in the constructors’ championship.”

Ferrari Mercedes McLaren Christian Horner Oscar Piastri Azerbaijan Grand Prix