Sergio Perez’s 2024 season has been a major disappointment, both for him and Red Bull. With no wins and an 11-race podium drought, Perez’s strong record in Baku gave him a solid chance to break the streak at last weekend’s Azerbaijan GP. He came close to securing a well-earned P2, but a heavy crash with Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap ended his race.
The incident has now seen him climb atop the ‘Destructors’ Championship standings.
Perez’s biggest crash occurred on lap one of the Monaco GP, where a collision with the two Haas drivers ended his race and cost Red Bull $2.1 million. The Guadalajara-born driver also incurred damages in China, Imola, Canada, Austria, and Hungary. While these incidents weren’t as costly individually, they added up significantly.
His collision with Sainz in Baku last weekend added approximately another million, bringing the total damage costs to $4.5 million.
Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant ranks second in repair costs, with a total bill of $3 million. His $1.7 million crash at the Dutch GP, which ultimately led to his sacking, paved the way for Franco Colapinto’s debut with the team from Monza onwards. However, the Argentine driver also added to Williams’ expenses with a $350,000 crash during FP1 in Baku last weekend.
In the cost-cap era, Perez‘s string of crashes will have significant ramifications for Red Bull’s development potential. Additionally, reports suggest the team is running low on spare parts. With fabrication limitations also being a crucial factor in modern F1, their hopes of defending the Constructors’ title have taken a severe hit.
McLaren has capitalized on Red Bull’s unlucky streak
Perez’s DNF in Azerbaijan meant that Red Bull only scored points with one car. Max Verstappen managed to secure just ten points with a fifth-place finish.
On the other hand, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri grabbed the second win of his F1 career after a masterful defensive drive against Charles Leclerc. His teammate, Lando Norris made a brilliant recovery drive from 15th on the grid to finish fourth and also snatched an extra point for the fastest lap of the race.
McLaren have overtaken Red Bull in the lead for the Constructors Championship.
McLaren – 476
Red Bull – 456— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 15, 2024
This was enough to see the Woking-based team jump Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings with a twenty-point advantage. This is the first time McLaren have led the Constructors’ championship since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
