Red Bull bosses furious, Lauda blames Max

FURIOUS Red Bull boss Christian Horner has demanded that Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo apologise in person to the team’s 800 staff following their crash at the Azerbaijan GP.

Verstappen and Ricciardo had been at each other’s throats for much of the race on the streets of Baku, and their highspeed collision with 11 laps remaining appeared inevitable.

At the first corner, Ricciardo lined up to overtake his teammate, faking right to the outside. Verstappen covered the move before Ricciardo swept left to take up a space down the inside. Verstappen then blocked that path, which left Ricciardo to thud into the back of him. In an instant, both cars were wiped out of the race.

“They are both in the doghouse,” Red Bull team principal Horner said in the aftermath.

“What’s annoying is that we’ve given away an awfully large amount of points today, so both drivers will be apologising to all the members of staff, who work so hard to put these cars together, before the next race in Barcelona.”

Stewards determined they were equally at fault, hitting them each with a reprimand.

Three-time world champion Niki Lauda, however, laid the blame firmly at Verstappen’s door. The 69-year-old Austrian, who was also critical of Verstappen after the last round in China, accused the Dutchman of weaving in his attempt to stop Ricciardo from passing.

“It is 70 per cent Verstappen, and 30 per cent Ricciardo,” Lauda said.

“If you move on him all the time where can the poor guy go?” Lauda added: “I would go home and cry. It is a disaster. I would bring them both into the office, and tell them how much less they will get paid for the damage they have done.”