Bottas does major damage at Red Bull: "Knew it was his fault"

The Hungarian Grand Prix has not been a good one for Red Bull Racing in recent years. At a track that should theoretically suit their car, the team hasn't won since 2014. That's not good, but what happened today is perhaps the absolute worst.

Not only did Max Verstappen lose the lead in the world championship standings to Lewis Hamilton, but he also lost the lead in the constructors' championship. Hamilton was only third, but a rash start by Valtteri Bottas meant that both Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez were practically out of the race after the first corner. The fact that Verstappen managed to secure a point in the end is a minor miracle, as Christian Horner knows.

Bottas gives Red Bull a cost

"Max fought hard, despite the extensive damage and downforce losses, securing one point which could prove vital at the end of the year.  There is no doubt that this has cost us a lot today, financially in a cost cap world, points wise and for Honda who now need to understand whether Checo’s engine is salvageable"

"It is also disappointing not to have seen what Checo had in store today as his start was impressive and he felt very confident in the car and his race pace", Horner said in Red Bull Racing's press release. Perez, for his part, reacted resignedly. "He came to me and apologised as he knew it was his mistake, and although it was not on purpose and is how racing goes sometimes, it doesn’t make a difference to the result for us right now as the large amount of damage ended our race and opportunity for points.”