Red Bull pair in strife with team

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 almost inevitable.

On the longest and fastest straight on the Formula One calendar, Ricciardo lined up his overtake in the battle for fourth.

But as Verstappen moved to his left to cover off his teammate, Ricciardo was left with little room for manoeuvre and thudded into the back of him. In an instant, both cars were wiped out of the race.

Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s technical boss, removed his headset in disgust and stormed straight from the pit wall to the garage. Horner sat motionless, aghast at what he had just witnessed. “The most important thing is that they both recognise that what happened today is unacceptable,” Horner said.

“We’ve let them race hard against each other, but unfortunately today has resulted in the worst possible scenario, where you’ve had both drivers make contact and retire from the grand prix. It is enormously disappointing. They are both in the doghouse.’’

Stewards hauled both men before them in the hours after the race and determined they were equally at fault, hitting them with a reprimand.

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

It is Verstappen’s third collision in as many races following run-ins with Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and now Ricciardo. “It is 70 per cent Verstappen, and 30 per cent Ricciardo,” Lauda said.

The crash also proved costly for former Red Bull champion Sebvastian Vettel, allowing Lewis Hamilton a lucky win.

Vettel led for much of the race, but was stuck in second behind Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas when a crash between the two Red Bulls brought out the safety car.

On the restart, Vettel lunged for the lead but could not keep his car on the racing line at the exit of the next corner and lost places. Soon afterward, Bottas’ right-rear tyre picked up a puncture, elevating Hamilton to first.