Red Bull faces a double setback as Lewis Hamilton’s message prompts a response from Wolff.
Another busy is complete in the world of F1 news, with the dust settling on another race weekend and attention already turning towards the next.
As ever, we have plenty to bring you in our nightly F1 news round-up, so let’s dive right in.
F1 news: Red Bull’s double blow in after-effect of Perez-Sainz collision
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko admitted to Sky Germany that the team had effectively lost faith in retaining the Constructors’ Championship this season, after McLaren took the lead following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez had been on for a podium on Sunday after a strong drive, prior to his collision with Carlos Sainz just two laps from the end in Baku.
Following that, though, Marko revealed another side-effect.
“It’s a massive setback for us,” he said.
We’ll certainly be able to get the car ready, but not in the form we planned. The test we had planned for Singapore is now no longer possible. It’s a massive setback.”
Toto Wolff responds to Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty from Baku
Lewis Hamilton was having to drive his Mercedes W15 in a way that was not to his liking in Azerbaijan on Sunday, prompting the message to come over team radio of “you see how I’m having to drive this thing?”
But Toto Wolff understood that it would be a difficult day for the seven-time World Champion from the off, who had to start from the pit lane as a new power unit was fitted and suspension changes were made to his car.
When asked about Hamilton’s grid penalty, Wolff replied: “I think there are two difficult philosophies and we discussed it at length.
“One is that you just swallow the pill here because, starting from P7, we don’t know where that would have gone, and then doing it in Austin.
“But we feel that Austin is an opportunity so that was the decision. Right or wrong, I don’t know, but it was a close call.”
Sergio Perez’s father taken to hospital following medical emergency
Antonio Perez Garibay, the father of Sergio Perez, was taken to hospital in the immediate aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday following a medical emergency.
