Team orders against Red Bull philosophy – Marko

Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko has warned against using team orders on its drivers but says there is blame on both sides in the crash between Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

After going wheel to wheel earlier in the race with Ricciardo skating by Verstappen on the exit of Turn 1, the pair engaged in a similar battle in the closing stages of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after the Dutch driver pulled off the overcut to retake the position from his teammate.

With Ricciardo lining up a similar move up the inside at Turn 1, Verstappen blocked his line and braked earlier than his Red Bull teammate which sent the Australian into the rear of him which saw both drivers out of the race.

Marko says both Ricciardo and Verstappen must shoulder equal blame for the incident which saw Red Bull suffer its second double DNF in three races but is against using team orders to avoid future clashes.

“We let the drivers race, and then they do that. Unbelievable,” Marko said. “Both were wrong. It was a racing accident between the two. There is not more fault on one or the other side.

“[Team orders] is against our philosophy. We always let the drivers race.”

Marko has also played down any preferential treatment for one driver over his teammate and has called both Ricciardo and Verstappen to take responsibility for the crash.

“We don’t have a number one, we don’t have a number two,” Marko said. “But we expect responsibility from the driver’s side.”

Both Ricciardo and Verstappen were handed their first reprimand by the FIA for the crash at the Baku City Circuit. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has order both drivers to apologise to the entire team after wrecking its chances and has warned them on their future conduct.