Dejected Sergio Perez explains how Carlos Sainz caused their crash in Baku

Sergio Perez insisted his crash at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was “a disaster” for Red Bull.

Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz clattered into the barrier on the penultimate lap when fighting for a podium position.

Charles Leclerc had previously fought off an overtake attempt from Perez.

A disappointed Perez told Sky Sports in Baku: “In my opinion, Carlos moved too quickly to follow the tow from Charles.

“It was the wrong time, wrong moment.

“It resulted in a huge shunt.”

Stewards investigated the crash but chose not to take action.

Perez’s DNF means aided McLaren in overtaking Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

“It’s a real shame that it happened,” Perez sighed.

“I mean, I am lost for words. It’s a disaster for the championship.

“For both of our weekends to end like this, when we definitely had more on the table, is a disaster.”

Max Verstappen was restricted to P5 after a different set-up to his RB20 backfired.

The next race is in Singapore where Perez won two years ago.

“It’s a bit of a boost of confidence,” he said.. “But we’ve got some work to do.

“We saw with Max today that with a small set-up difference and you arrive at the window quickly.

“Plenty of work to do, going forwards.”

Red Bull’s struggles to keep pace with McLaren were compounded when Perez crashed out.

It also denied Perez a rare chance to finish ahead of Verstappen.

The Mexican driver has been under scrutiny all season with his suitability for the car constantly debated.