"I did nothing wrong" says Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari asserted that he bore no responsibility following a "disastrous" collision with Red Bull's Sergio Perez during the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

The two drivers were contending for third place, with Perez aiming for a potential second position at a circuit he favors when they made contact at turn two, resulting in both cars crashing into the wall.

"This is a disaster for the championship," Perez remarked, noting that he has not reached the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. He now stands eighth in the overall rankings, trailing his teammate Max Verstappen by 170 points.

"In my view, Carlos moved too swiftly to take the tow from Charles," Perez continued, having attempted to overtake Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for second place but ultimately falling to fourth as Sainz passed him.

"It was simply the wrong time and the wrong moment, leading to a significant crash."

After consulting with the stewards, Sainz expressed relief that both drivers emerged unscathed and declined to accept blame for what he described as an unforeseen collision.

"I did not execute any erratic maneuvers or aggressive movements towards Checo (Perez), and for reasons I still do not comprehend, we collided, which ended the race for us," he stated.

"I am completely convinced that I did nothing wrong or aggressive."

Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, expressed that Perez deserved better treatment.

"Upon reviewing the replay, it is evident that Carlos began to drift across the track, which is quite disappointing," he noted. "At the very least, he (Perez) should have been on the podium today."

"This incident has ruined Checo's race, resulting in significant damage and crucial points lost in the constructors' championship."

As a result, Red Bull fell 20 points behind McLaren, who secured victory with Australian driver Oscar Piastri, marking the first occasion since early 2022 that Red Bull has not led the championship standings.

Earlier in the weekend, Sainz and Perez had already encountered issues, each having been summoned to the stewards for impeding one another during practice sessions.

Perez received a warning for obstructing Sainz on Saturday, while Sainz was similarly cautioned for delaying the Mexican driver on Friday.

"I believe this is the third occurrence. Now they have completed the task," remarked Piastri as he observed a replay of the incident in the cool-down room.