Horner blames Sainz for late accident with Perez at Azerbaijan F1 GP

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner blamed Carlos Sainz after the Ferrari clashed with Sergio Perez towards the end of the thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

As the two were battling for third place on the exit of turn two on the penultimate lap, a collision occurred that resulted in both cars crashing through the barriers and effectively bringing a safety car onto the track for the remainder of the race.

After scoring just 36 points in the final ten rounds, Perez was back to his best on the streets of Baku, chasing down the leading duo of Oscar Piastri – the eventual winner – and Charles Leclerc in the second half of the Grand Prix.

His frustration was evident as he cursed over the team radio after the accident, and Horner was in no doubt as to who he thought was at fault.

“He deserved a lot more. I've just watched the replay and you can see Carlos drifting around the track. So very disappointing, he should have at least been on the podium today,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“You have to look at what will be imposed the following weekend (in terms of a possible penalty for Sainz). That ruined Checo's race today, cost us a lot of damage and of course important points in the constructors' championship.”

Sainz, meanwhile, said the blame lay with Perez. “I drove my normal racing line,” claimed the Ferrari driver. “I didn't do any strange maneuver or anything. And for some reason that I still don't understand, we collided and yes, I think he had a lot of space on the left.”

When asked how he would explain the collision to the race stewards, Sainz replied: “I am driving my normal racing line and the line that we all drive on every lap on this track: at the exit of the second corner we always drift a little to the left, but without making any strange or unpredictable maneuvers.”

“Charles in front of me is also moving to the left, of course I'm just following his slipstream, and I don't know, Checo is deciding not to allow any movement or space, but it's too early to say.”

Under pressure from Perez and Sainz, Leclerc defended his second place despite his tyres degrading badly after following Piastri's McLaren for so long.

George Russell moved up to the third step of the podium, while championship contender Lando Norris worked his way up from 15th place on the grid to fourth place