LAP 50/51 WOW. Leclerc defends from Perez, which allows Sainz past, and then the Ferrari and Red Bull collide into the barriers on the run down to Turn 3! VSC deployed 🟡 #F1 #AzerbaijanGP
Perez 'Would Have Won' If Norris Din't Help Piastri Says Horner
F1Sunday, 15 September 2024 at 16:47
Updated at Wednesday, 18 September 2024 at 09:14
Christian Horner suggested Sergio Perez might have won the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix if Lando Norris had not slowed him down to help his F1 teammate.
Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez started the 17th round of the 2024 season since P4, and after he gained a position on Carlos Sainz during the opening lap of the race, he was in a constant battle for the lead.
The Mexican driver came close to overtaking Oscar Piastri for the P2 by undercutting him with an earlier pitstop. However, he encountered Piastri's teammate Lando Norris, who slowed him down in the middle sector after getting this request on the team radio heard on the F1TV live broadcast:
“"Lando, could you do anything to hold Perez up in the middle sector without hurting yourself?"”
Norris held up the Red Bull Racing F1 driver just enough for Piastri to come out ahead of him. This was a crucial point in the race, as Piastri then went on to pass Leclerc and dictate the pace in the lead himself.
Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, suggested he believed that Perez might have won this Grand Prix if the McLaren driver hadn't held him up. He told Sky Sports:
“"Unfortunately, he lost quite a bit of time on out laps behind Alex Albon and Lando also costed him time which gave Oscar track position. I think without that he would've won the race today."”
The Mexican driver managed to stay with the leading duo until the final laps of the race and came close to overtaking Charles Leclerc for second place, but that was when he collided with Carlos Sainz, who also entered the battle.
This collision with the Spaniard put Perez out of the race. Checo was faster than his teammate Max Verstappen, who struggled throughout the whole weekend and could have outperformed him for the first time this year (without a DNF), but unfortunately, he had to leave Baku with 0 points.
Horner hinted it was Sainz who moved across (although that didn't have to mean he was at fault) and added that the 34-year-old deserved at least a podium today.
“"It's heartbreaking for him, seeing so much effort goes into losing the podium at the end of the race."”
“"He deserved more than that. I just watch the replay, and Carlos drifted across the circuit. He deserved a podium. It destroyed his race, and a lot of damage. It has cost us a lot of points in the Constructors."”
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