Sergio Perez ‘super sad’ to see McLaren topple Red Bull from championship lead due to race-ending collision

Sergio Perez lamented his Azerbaijan GP crash which led to Red Bull losing the top spot to McLaren in the championship standings.


Sergio Perez ‘super sad’ to see McLaren topple Red Bull from championship lead due to race-ending collision

Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)

Red Bull’s extreme performance struggle has caused the team to lose the 2024 constructors’ lead to McLaren at the Azerbaijan GP. Milton Keynes headed into the Baku weekend with great hopes of maximizing points in the championship. However, a penultimate lap collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz made the team lose out on major points in their running against McLaren.

Sergio Perez was on the trajectory to finish on the podium following a great drive around the circuit. Perez couldn’t bear the pressure of battling with two Ferraris. As a result, he collided with Sainz towards the end. The Mexican noted the incident was a ‘shame’ as Carlos Sainz was the last person he wanted to crash with. Additionally, the 34-year-old accepted that both the team’s weekends were ruined.

It's a shame, because Carlos is definitely the last guy I want to have an incident with. And it's just a shame that we both ruined our weekends.
Sergio Perez told GPblog
YouTube video

Apart from this, Sergio Perez reckoned that the entire incident made him feel super sad for the team. McLaren breezed past Red Bull in the constructors’ standings and might just hold onto the lead from now. Hence, it is up to Milton Keynes to score a revival in performance to once again join the contention for championship victory.

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It makes me feel super sad for my team. McLaren overtook us in the championship.
Sergio Perez added

Sergio Perez reveals ‘positive thing’ at Baku despite the colossal clash

The entire Azerbaijan GP wasn’t filled with negatives, according to Sergio Perez. The Mexican noted that Red Bull’s pace was back as the chassis performed better over the weekend. Perez believed that the team was back in contention for points, courtesy of the upgrades. Hence, Milton-Keynes could be happy with this feat for now as they aim at managing a comeback in performance.

But the positive thing is that the pace is back. I think with the upgrades we have brought in contention, and that's something we can be happy with.
Sergio Perez noted
Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)
Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)

The competition and excitement have continued to peak during the ground-effect era amidst Red Bull’s struggle. The end-of-the-season battle would be interesting to witness as both championships are still wide open. Perez must desperately rediscover his form and start scoring better points for the team.