F1 Azerbaijan GP: Red Bull drivers ‘in the doghouse’ after crash

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen told to
apologise to Red Bull staff as Lewis Hamilton wins in Baku

One-Minute Read

The teammates went wheel-to-wheel a number of times during the
race yesterday before Ricciardo crashed into the back of
Verstappen. The incident on lap 40 meant both drivers failed to
finish the race and lost vital points in the 2018 championship.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner blamed both
drivers and ordered them to apologise to staff. Horner
told the Daily Mail: “They’re equally responsible.
What’s obviously annoying is that we’ve given away an awfully large
amount of points, so both drivers will be apologising to all the
members of staff who work so hard to put these cars together.”

However, Horner did say that he wants to see the Red Bull
drivers race against each other – as long as there is “enough
space”. He added: “It’s a fine line – competition is what people
want to see, and we want to allow the drivers to race each other.
For the last two years, they’ve done a very good job of that. We
will discuss things prior to Barcelona, but we want to continue to
allow the drivers to race. But they have to ensure that, if they
are going wheel-to-wheel, they allow each other enough
space.”

Hamilton ‘grateful’ for the win

Lewis Hamilton won his first Grand Prix of the season
yesterday and returned to the top of the drivers’
standings.

After his win in Baku the Mercedes ace is now four points
ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, but he admits there’s work to
be done ahead of the next race in Spain on 13 May.

“I don’t feel unworthy of the win,” Hamilton told the BBC. “I drove pretty well through the race. It
was just for me, if my normal level is eagle, birdie, today was
par, on an average, and then a couple of bogeys.

“I am grateful for the win but performance-wise, not
entirely [because of] me, but with the car, my performance didn’t
feel like it was on par with what I am capable of doing. I will
take that away and try to come back and attack stronger in the next
race.”

Ferrari are ‘favourites’ for 2018
title

Hamilton may be ahead of Ferrari’s Vettel in the drivers’
championship, but Sky Sports F1 writer Pete Gill does not believe
holders Mercedes are favourites for the title this season.

Gill wrote: “Despite their first win of the new campaign,
the world champions will have departed Baku with fresh cause for
concern. For the first time in F1’s hybrid era, there is little
doubt that Mercedes are no longer F1’s number one. And little doubt
Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel are the new 2018
favourites.”