Red Bull chief Christian Horner reacted to a collision involving Sergio Perez and George Russell by cracking a joke about Mercedes.
Perez was sent flying off the track and into the gravel after contact with Russell at turn four on the first lap. The Brit sustained some damage and was slapped with a five-second penalty, but it was worse for the Red Bull racer who was later forced to retire from the race.
Reacting to that incident, Horner referenced the 2020 race when Alexander Albon, then of Red Bull, was denied what looked set to be a first career podium after contact with Lewis Hamilton at the very same corner. "I don't think Mercedes like our cars going round the outside at turn four," he quipped while speaking to Sky Sports F1.
He went on to blame Russell for the contact and explained why the team made the decision to retire the car after initially trying to continue. "It was a shame because Checo, you can see he's ahead there and it's almost a mirror image with Alex a couple years ago," he added.
"There was so much damage. There was no chance for him to score any points so better to save the mileage. It's a tricky corner there but you know, we've seen so many incidents on the outside. It's just a shame that he wasn't given more space, but it's one of those things, we'll bounce back in France."
Russell managed to survive front wing damage and the penalty given by the stewards to finish fourth, a strong result for Mercedes even if a podium might have been possible. Naturally, the Brit defended his actions and claimed the punishment he was given was over-the-top.
"On lap one, Checo dived down the outside at turn four, then took a tight line," explained Russell after the race. "I had Sainz ahead and had to get up on the apex kerb. I thought the penalty was harsh – for me it was a racing incident."
At the front of the race, Max Verstappen was upstaged by Charles Leclerc who could rely on a much more pacy Ferrari to carry him to the chequered flag – even while suffering from a gearbox issue. It might have been a one-two, but Carlos Sainz suffered an engine failure and scrambled to get out of his Ferrari as flames engulfed the car.
