Red Bull boss Christian Horner has launched a scathing attack on one of Ferrari's star drivers for striking a blow to his team's world title chances.
The reigning Formula 1 constructors' champions have been replaced at the top of the 2024 standings by McLaren, following last weekend's thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri drove superbly on the streets of Baku to take a second career victory, while Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez once again suffered disappointing results, compounding Red Bull's struggles.
A crash between Perez and Carlos Sainz dominated the post-race discussion, with each driver blaming the other for a crash on the penultimate lap that left them both point-less.
It was a particularly devastating blow for Perez, who has failed to feature on the podium since April's Chinese GP, but looked odds-on to do just that in Baku until the collision with Sainz.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Horner laid the blame firmly at Sainz's door, and lamented the points lost in their ongoing fight to retain their constructors' crown.
“He deserved a lot more," said Horner. "I was just looking at the replay and you can see Carlos start to drift across the circuit.
"So, very disappointing, he should at the very least have been on the podium today.
"It has destroyed the race for Checo today, cost us a lot of damage and obviously vital points in the constructors’ championship.”