Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Silverstone, 2021

Hamilton “went in too hot” in Verstappen collision – Ricciardo

2021 British Grand Prix

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Daniel Ricciardo believes Lewis Hamilton was responsible for the collision with Max Verstappen which put the Red Bull driver out on the first lap of the British Grand Prix.

However the McLaren driver stressed he does not believe Hamilton intended to clash with his rival.

Verstappen was taken to the medical centre and then to a local hospital for precautionary checks after striking a barrier at Copse at over 50G.

“It was certainly a nasty outcome,” said Ricciardo in response to a question from RaceFans. “It’s obviously at high speed, it doesn’t take much to have a big one like that.”

After watching replays of the crash Ricciardo explained his view of what happened.

“When you’re in such a high-speed corner and just side-by-side, you’re both going to lose aero, particularly Lewis there with Max kind of in a little bit of dirty air. But I think they were both going in hot.

“Ultimately Lewis went in too hot for the for the given level of grip and that’s where you see [he] just drifted up into Max. Completely unintentional, but just the nature of the aero on these cars and [you] just have to allow a little more, but I’m certainly not going to sit here and judge and say he should have done that or that.”

Ricciardo was involved in a high-speed collision with Verstappen when they were team mates at Red Bull. “They’ve just been racing hard all year and it’s unfortunate they come together, obviously unfortunate for it to be such a big one.

“But the thing is Max is okay. And to be honest, it’s a bit like yesterday with George [Russell] and Carlos [Sainz Jnr] – it’s the first lap, we’ve got still a bit cold tyres, high fuel, things happen and it is racing. But yes, certainly I feel for Max.”

FIA Formula 1 medical rescue co-ordinator Dr Ian Roberts told Sky Verstappen was “a little bit winded, to say the least” following the impact.

Ricciardo said Copse is “the last corner you want to have an incident on – I saw him walk out, but I heard he’s in the medical centre getting some checks, so I hope he’s alright.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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119 comments on “Hamilton “went in too hot” in Verstappen collision – Ricciardo”

  1. Im assuming RBR and Horner advised every team within the paddock to agree with RBR in saying Hamilton caused the crash…

    1. pathetic, and clearly shows no grounds for justification…..i assume what isaw with my own eyes

  2. GtisBetter (@)
    18th July 2021, 18:47

    Go away with your rational explanations and measured responses, Ricciardo. No one wants to read about that! It must be black and white! *points to RF comments*

    /s

    1. Lets make more sense. Why is there so little tek-pro barriers, exactly where the car landed there was no modern barriers, there was a massive crash there a couple years ago. 51g is massive, I think it is auto red flag level and 75g is certain death.

      1. I agree. I know its more expensive, but its proven to be more effective in a crash… and quicker to repair afterwards. It makes no real sense that it ends where it does.

        1. I imagine Dani racing Nascar in this Reno, it would be entertaining. At least I have a Ricciardo helmet left for the souvenir that I bought

      2. Exactly, I’ve said it before but I’m amazed when I see that they’re NOT using those barriers literally everywhere. It’s especially bad there where they use them but it stops at what the average person with common sense could see is the danger zone.

    2. What does he know anyway. Right?

    3. Should we be reading yours instead given your first hand experience as an F1 driver?
      Yeah, sure.

    4. Danny Ric is correct, Lewis was in a completely different part of the track when fighting Max vs Leclerc, much further from the apex. Here is one of the best comparison images I’ve seen of the 2 incidents: https://jmp.sh/ZIOVMsZ

      If anything, Max gave more space than Leclerc did, and Charles still went offtrack with a lighter car and up-to-temp tires.

      1. @gechichan exactly! That was the first thing I thought, he actually hit the inner kerb and bought himself an extra half car-width of margin in doing so. Max gave him the room, but Lewis didn’t take it.

    5. love the sarcasm :-), i think?

  3. Someone might want to mention it to Christian Horner. I get he feels hard done by, and rightly so, but the way he went on and on about how irresponsible it was and hinting that Hamilton should perhaps be disqualified from a future event is a bit much.

    1. it’s probably not very different to what Toto would’ve said if it was the other way around. For RBR this is a total blow in both championships, it’s understandable to be furious seeing all the hard work of these few past months go up in smoke.

      1. True, especially if the power unit is damaged or worse. But the blame here is on FIA/Liberty who decided to broadcast this kind of discussions. Given the money involved teams are absolutely reasonable to make claims like Horner today, it is the decision to make a show out of it, that adds the salt to the open wound.

        1. the broadcast about email coming from Totot to Masi about the tire rules was an embarrasing moment for Mercedes.
          Trying to distract Masi. Who told Toto he could go to the stewards about it.
          But toto decided his moviestart was more important.

          1. Now you know that Masi doesn’t check his emails during a race!

      2. John Macdonald
        19th July 2021, 11:23

        Can just imagine Toto if it had been the other way around he would be wanting Max banned would have never hears the end of it you can be sure , no difference.

      3. F1oSaurus (@)
        19th July 2021, 11:50

        @gechichan It was the other way around for instance in Spain. Horner was very proud of Verstappen for going for a crash which Hamilton narrowly avoided. The difference is that Hamilton, Like Leclerc and Norris on Sunday in Copse understand that sometimes you need to yield. Verstappen doesn’t understand this and it costs him races like for instance Brazil 2019 and Silverstone 2021, but a lot more of those too.

    2. Would Hamilton have been booked for homocide if Verstappen had died in the crash?

    3. and i disagree…….i guess you don’t mind seeing a repeat performance..maybe tit for tat……the overwhelming sentiment here is that the move was completely improbable and ultra DANGEROUS…….ever seen the video serie…and they walked away?…….on another occasion someone may not..

    4. I think they started to react AFTER they heared Max Radio which was scary and possible injury …

  4. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    18th July 2021, 19:03

    @simon999 well, Horner is partly to blame. How long has Max been driving for him? Why can’t he get his driver to avoid rookie mistakes like this one? If Verstappen is so good, surely he can avoid that crash. Instead we see Lewis “assisting” Max in every race to avoid a dozen collisions.

    Everyone knew it was a matter of time before Max crashed into Lewis. Horner is the only person in the world surprised by that.

    If you keep insisting Max is right, Max’ll never improve, right? Horner and Marko need to help Max improve – he could have easily won the race today. Easily… Instead, he made a rookie mistake.

    1. You do realise the Stewards put the blame on Lewis. Try to keep up.

      1. And we all know that the stewards never, ever, make mistakes.

      2. barely…..if that’s supposed to be adequete punishment…then better watch out for the rest of the season….and then let’s see if NErcedes call it racing incident when the boot’s on the other foot…

    2. Everyone knew it was a matter of time before Max crashed into Lewis

      indeed, he crashed his rear right into Lewis’ front left. Oh wait…

    3. @freelittlebirds
      “Everyone knew it was a matter of time before Max crashed into Lewis.”

      Today is opposite day?

      “Instead, he made a rookie mistake.”
      Yes, veterans don’t leave more than enough space.

      Tell us: why did the stewards penalize Max again…..oh wait.

      “If you keep insisting Max is right, Max’ll never improve, right?”
      Yes, because Max has a 14 year old history of retiring other drivers.

      But rest assured: Lewis won the race, but joined Schumacher on the top spot for dirty driving and ruined his legacy.
      Atleast Schumacher had some decency after winning, opposed to Lewis.

      1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        18th July 2021, 19:26

        @Niki101 I have been watching F1 for a long time. Half the penalties make no sense and are usually sympathy penalties.

        1. I have been watching F1 for a long time.

          you could have fooled me ;)
          But just look at the crash and see how Ham hits Ver who is rightful defending his position on track.

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            19th July 2021, 11:51

            Hamilton was alongside and on the inside. As many drivers have explained that means that Hamilton had the rights to the racing line.

    4. Hey @freelittlebirdsebirds. Still not convinced? Even Ricciardo doesn’t agree with you. Sure you know better…

      If Lewis is good enough, he knew the corner was Max’ and should have tried to take the apex like with Leclerc

      1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        18th July 2021, 19:30

        @marcusaurelius I’ll admit that I was surprised by Ricciardo’s statement especially since his incident with Max at Baku made him leave Red Bull. Perhaps, Ricciardo was at fault there too like Red Bull insisted :-) Of course, Max was at fault there doing the same crap he did to Max on Lewis…

        1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          18th July 2021, 19:30

          sorry, he did to Daniel on Lewis.

      2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        18th July 2021, 19:36

        @MarcusAurelius Lewis would have avoided that accident 100 times out of 100 if he were in Max’s car. Max is good but a top wheel-to-wheel racer, that he certainly is not! He’s a great wheel-to-wheel racer but like Leclerc, they put the car in the wrong place more often than they should. Max knows he screwed up… Lewis knows he didn’t do anything wrong.

        And if you look at Horner’s reaction when the incident happened, you can tell that he was not as upset as he would have been had Lewis been at fault.

        1. Lewis knows he didn’t do anything wrong.

          Thats a normal reaction when guilty. But you distorted view is a fanboy style.
          Max did nothing wrong. He defended his position leading the race.. Lewis hit him and should have backed out ( like he did with Lec)
          So the rookie mistake by lewis caused the accident.. pressure is getting to him..

        2. @freelittlebirds I think one of this sites headlines sums it up nicely, This was a Smash and Grab victory. This was very un-Lewis. He was always the gentleman who never had to resort to questionable actions. But those days are gone now I’m afraid.

          And this time there is quite a lot of evidence he made a big mistake in the heat of the moment. A very understandable mistake under such pressure, but a mistake nonetheless. The Lewis I admire would not have taken a Trump like stance. But he’s under a pressure he’s never been before, and it is showing more and more.

          The fact that Lewis took a mucht tightler line to the apex of Copse when he was fighting with Leclerc, a fight that he knew he could win easily, says enough he knowingly avoided impact. With Leclerc losing it on the exit proves Verstappen raced Lewis harder and didn’t expect contact. Especially at 280 kph…

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            19th July 2021, 11:56

            @marcusaurelius Just go back and watch Spain again. Horner was so proud that Verstappen nearly caused an accident there which Hamilton narrowly managed to prevent.

            Hamilton won that race.

            Instead Verstappen doesn’t yield in a lost position and rather crashes out to try and prevent being overtaken.

            Leclerc and Norris understand how this works too.

          2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
            19th July 2021, 14:16

            @marcusaurelius don’t get me wrong… Max is an incredible talent but he is also in many ways one of the worst wheel-to-wheel racers, not because he doesn’t the talent but because he chooses to appear that way. When Lewis has to give a speech explaining how dangerous you are, then you have to listen. The guy is the best wheel-to-wheel racer on the track with Alonso and Raikonnen. Ideally, this would come from Horner and Marko but they are applauding everyone of his moves even the one on Daniel at Baku.

            Even Max has admitted that he can’t believe how bad his racing was when looking back at old footage. He just needs to improve his racing. He has the speed but you don’t drive at full speed as you run around drivers and go into corners cutting in front of them, hoping they all brake and make way for you.

            An overtake is much more than I cut in front of you and you better back off or I’ll clip my tyre and end in the barrier and then you’ll have to deal with my daddy (oops, I meant my team principal).

            If Max was a truly great sport, he would have admitted that he did turn in too aggressively and has to be more careful. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t fight, as he does, it’s just that he fights more maturely.

      3. F1oSaurus (@)
        19th July 2021, 11:53

        How about Chandhok who blamed Verstappen? Or Leclerc, Alonso, Palmer, Brundle, Button and who knows how many others called it a racing incident. All notably pointing out that Verstappen is so overly aggressive that things like this are bound to happen.

    5. Baku 2018 no blame by Horner on his golden boy.

    6. If it was a rookie mistake, then why was Hamilton penalised, it is very obvious that the Stewards found that Hamilton could have given Verstappen a little room as he was clearly ahead when Hamilton’s front left clashed with Max’s Right rear. So the rookie mistake should be applied to Hamilton, being an experience driver and multiple World Champion, shame on him to use such dirty tactics to win, guess if your British and at Silverstone anything goes. If by chance Max had died, you probably would have stated that it was suicide!!

  5. Drivers in a briefing room still high on the adrenaline of the race throwing an insult like Hamilton did a couple of years ago calling Verstappen the d word I can understand. But Horner coming out and calling Hamilton dirty is downright disrespectful to the level of competition these guys are at

    Ricciardo is right, it’s a mistake by Hamilton, damned lucky to not come out far worse, and he’s by no means the first driver to make a small mistake with a huge outcome

    That said I think the penalty should have been harsher

    1. 100% spot on @philipgb

    2. Yep, calling a cold-blooded murder “dirty” is quite disrespectful

    3. Bart Versieck
      20th July 2021, 2:44

      @philipgb, is it still possible for some jury to disqualify him afterwards, i.e. in the coming days?

  6. Facts
    Lewis went in to hot, lost control of the car and oversteered into max. Max did nothing wrong and was leading the race.
    The stewards gave a very soft penalty and blamed Lewis for causing a collision.
    Not intentionally but just cracking under pressure when he was unable to pass max for several attempts leading to cops.

    1. Max made the rookie mistake. Had he backed off slightly he’d still be racing with a reasonable chance of winning. Instead he crashed.

      1. He was in front, the leader…. how was he supposed to back off?! It’s the responsibility of the driver behind to make a clean overtake. If there was a rookie mistake, it’s HAM’s mistake.

        1. No he was fighting sir Lewis.. so he should have backed off. lewis is a saint and never ever makes mistakes…

          1. Except when he does, and owns up to them, immediately. Like his collision with Albon.

        2. F1oSaurus (@)
          19th July 2021, 11:57

          @mg1982 He was side by side going into the corner. He should have yielded

  7. @freelittlebirds
    “Everyone knew it was a matter of time before Max crashed into Lewis.”

    Today is opposite day?

    “Instead, he made a rookie mistake.”
    Yes, veterans don’t leave more than enough space.

    Tell us: why did the stewards penalize Max again…..oh wait.

    “If you keep insisting Max is right, Max’ll never improve, right?”
    Yes, because Max has a 14 year old history of retiring other drivers.

    But rest assured: Lewis won the race, but joined Schumacher on the top spot for dirty driving and ruined his legacy.
    Atleast Schumacher had some decency after winning, opposed to Lewis.

    1. You have evidence of dirty driving or you just fabricating comments to support a narritave you support?

  8. Interestingly enough, Danny has pulled off so many last minute spectacular “dive bomb” moves during his time in F1. The only reason they don’t end in tears is because the other guy gives him space.

    1. pastaman (@)
      18th July 2021, 19:27

      Or… the situations are completely different. Dive bombing into a hard braking zone and making the move stick is not a comparison to missing the apex in a high speed turn like Copse. Do you even understand racing? Look up the word “nuance”.

      Even assuming you are correct (you are not), what bearing does it have on this incident?

      1. Just an observation that I’m as free to make as you are to come and rubbish it…

        1. pastaman (@)
          19th July 2021, 4:11

          Fair enough

      2. How was it possible Hamilton could get side by side with Max at Copse

      3. F1oSaurus (@)
        19th July 2021, 11:59

        @pastaman And together with OOliver’s question I would like to add that Hamilton overtook 2 other divers in that same corner without incident.

        1. pastaman (@)
          19th July 2021, 13:28

          @f1osaurus ok so… that must mean he made a mistake while attempting the overtake with Max seeing as he never made the apex of the turn

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            19th July 2021, 16:10

            @pastaman No how does that even make sense?

            He was forced to brake because Verstappen turned in on him. Which means Hamilton needs to open up his steering. Then he got clobbered on the front wheel, which again means he needs to correct the resulting oversteer by going wider.

            It’s preposterous that the rules are that the driver on the inside who is alongside has the rights to the racing line and then complain that he uses the racing line.

          2. pastaman (@)
            19th July 2021, 21:46

            @f1osaurus that’s the problem though, he missed the racing line with Max but not with the others

  9. If Hamilton was to blame, then the stewards already decided that and gave him a penalty.

    Why are people still so salty about it. It’s not like he’s the first driver to cause an incident on the first lap and get a penalty for it, is he?

    I guess it is because he still managed to win – DESPITE the penalty.

    Please get over it.

    1. I think the frustration comes from the fact the penalty was too light.
      Then the stupid rule that a car can be fixed under a red adds to it.
      Justice would have been LeClerc wins the race.
      You are right though – time to move on.

    2. The fact that he still managed to win despite sending someone to the hospital shows the penalty was too lenient. A drive through would have been the minimum.

    3. Yeah, a tainted win! Help with the red flag, then BOT’s being removed from his position by the guys from the bench etc. If it was a fair win – OK, but…….

  10. I still blame both equally.

    1. Anyone who thinks that this is anything but a racing incident does not understand F1. Max is too aggressive and fails to see the big picture. Check the move he did first lap of Barcelona GP on Lewis even though Lewis was ahead in the corner.
      Lewis saw the big picture there and backed out to avoid collision. Today’s move is an exact replica.

    2. please enlighten us.
      Ver was defending his leading position and was in front of lewis, did not put a foot wrong and lewis made a stupid mistake.
      Why was ver to blame?

      1. Because sometimes you have to play it a bit safer. Go back to Spain this year, Hamilton was slightly ahead into T1 but Verstappen had the inside line. Hamilton hung on but eventually gave up to avoid contact. Smart driving from him saved him potentially ending up in the wall and an incident/ penalty for Max. Horner even praised the aggression from Max and said it’s a good job Hamilton gave up it he’d have been in the wall jokingly. Max really wasn’t smart today, he could have ran wider and argued he was forced off track or simply been able to fight back in the faster car with an under cut or raw pace advantage. He chose to be just as aggressive as Hamilton did and that’s that. To say he did nothing wrong when he’s been weaving like crazy, running off track and maintaining position and bumping wheels down the straight is just misleading. Two cars were on that part of the track, you can’t just turn in blind when there’s a car on your inside and expect no contact.

        1. Max had lost momentum from the previous major corner and he could potentially see himself losing the lead hence his attempt to block hastily. Massa did something similar to Hamilton a few years back in Turkey I believe.
          Sometimes a driver has to yeild even if they are in the right something Ricciardo would know much about from his diving overtakes.

      2. F1oSaurus (@)
        19th July 2021, 12:01

        They were side by side and Hamilton had the inside.

  11. Ian Crawford
    18th July 2021, 20:16

    Crash into your rival, celebrate how good you are while he is in hospital.

    very sad and unsportsmanslike behavior….

  12. Too many folk over analysing this and getting upset. In my opinion both drivers went in a bit deep after slipstreaming and changing direction. It was a nasty accident but pretty marginal stuff. 10 second deserved penalty given, consistent considering the 5 second ones in Austria. Racing incident, penalty given, move on.

    1. If I’m Max Verstappen tonight I’m thinking: « if I can make Lewis retire in one of remaining races of the season while making it look like a non-voluntary accident, I’ll only get a 10s penalty ».
      Once drivers get into that mentality, things can get dangerous very fast.

      1. It would be comical if he tried it and ended up coming worse off – which is a distinct possibility.

      2. Yeah, especially if he tries it at Eau Rouge.

      3. Davethechicken
        19th July 2021, 8:04

        Perhaps, but if he deliberately injures another driver he may find himself in prison. It may be sport, but the laws of whichever country in which the incident occurs will still apply.

      4. F1oSaurus (@)
        19th July 2021, 12:02

        @paeschli In fact Verstappen already drives with this mentality. He has total disregard for the other drivers safety and always goes for the line that will result in a crash or him getting/keeping the position.

    2. @broke1984 I partly agree. Agreeing on all the accident related stuff. But the reactions come from Lewis his remarks afterwards exposing him. He clearly made a mistake. If he owns up to it, fine. But instead he refers to Max dangerous style while it is only he himself who took at 3 RedBulls by now in exactly the same manner, for which he was penalised all three times. So that makes him a hypocrite. And a man that plays with lives. Nothing he can say or do in the future will take that image away. He has disqualified himself as a sir, as a racing driver and as a person

  13. 50/50 – nether were really to blame just racing hard and on the edge, my main thought is that Max had a huge run off area and didn’t need to turn in so hard, he would’ve lost 1st place but easily had the pace to recover and fight Lewis – Also Max knew Lewis was up the inside so why did he turn in , I’m guessing he just assumed Lewis would back out ( but he didn’t) – my opinion “ Racing Incident”

    1. This is how i see it, mv thought Lewis backed out, cause in the past when ham is leading he would back out of a duel to get points than risk 0 points against mv who has a reputation for nudging ppl and not backing out. If mv gives the place up n lets ham through at worst he finishes 2nd and keeps his points advantage in the championship, in what is shown to be the best car this year and mv being such an amazing talent so much better than LH regainng the lead would have been an easy task, instead he finished with 0 points, if roles was reversed i rekon lh pulls out lets mv go n takes 2nd or trys to get first bck.. Difference between a 7 time wolrd champ and a 0 time world champ.

  14. Pure racing incident

  15. I recall, that’s the 2nd Red Bull driver Hamilton’s taken out, in two years?

  16. End of watching this sport. So long and goodbye and …….

    1. Understandable

  17. Look at the images from the cockpit and the hands of the drivers…Lewis was turning right…he was not going straight. Karun Chandhok showed it…racing incident, not intentional, even 10seconds penalty was too harsh. Move on.

    1. While his car was skidding straight on since he carried too much speed on the dirt. Rookie mistake. No biggy, just own up to it and than all is fine. Instead he chose for the third time, having torpedo’d Albon twice in exactly the same way, to run into a RedBull, getting penalised for a third time. The guy is borderline insane

      1. Exactly this. HAM was driving far away from the apex, over the dirt. After that he had no control over his car anymore and drifted to the outside. A rookie mistake. Biggest issue is not admitting it.

  18. The first thing that came to mind when I saw the crash was – Senna-Prost, Suzuka 1990!

    1. Senna-Mansell 1989. Portugal, interesting though Nigel was black flagged prior to the accident. You should think of Suzuka 1989. as well, which was definitely causing the collision by Prost, and Senna was to blame.

  19. Hamilton says he was side-by-side in that corner, but he wasn’t. I don’t think he was even halfway into that corner. It was a very optimistic move and, at that speed, you could easily end up with serious or paralyzing damage to your body. Reckless, to say the least. And a penalty that made absolutely no impact – laughable. I understand the feelings of British fans, but if it was a clean win I would have cheered with them.

    1. They were side by side for a brief moment before Max decided to take more speed into the corner and power his way past. That was the decision point, to yeild or not yeild.

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      19th July 2021, 12:03

      @pt Hamilton was fully alongside at the point where they turn in. That’s where it counts. Not after Hamilton braked to try and avoid Verstappen trying to drive through him.

  20. Richard Holmes
    18th July 2021, 23:51

    I really think people should understand the rules. Under the rules when entering a corner if the front axle of the car is beyond the mid point of the car on the outside THEN THE CORNER BELONGS TO THE CAR ON THE INSIDE and should conceded. It is very clear LeClerc understood the rules later in the race.

    Perhaps I could also refer you the comments of Mr Horner after a comparable « racing incident in Spain « Turn 1 was mega, I mean Max, that was full Max Verstappen – he was just going for it – and he positioned the car fantastically well » said Horner after the Spanish Grand Prix. « he tucked in, got a bit of a tow and bit of momentum – and yeah just braked a little later and ran the car out wide » « Thankfully Lewis had got out of it otherwise HE WOULD HAVE ENDED UP IN THE FENCE »

    Apologies anyone? No? Thought not

    1. You are 100% correct!

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      19th July 2021, 12:04

      Exactly. That’s why it’s so bizarre that the stewards appoint any blame to Hamilton for potentially slightly missing the apex.

    3. https://jumpshare.com/v/JwGRLRZeWoGlOlUmsvMq
      Leclerc gave Hamilton less space than Verstappen

    4. Agree, was at the race and surprised it wasn’t just considered a racing incident.

      Am sure there will be more collisions in the future.

      Plus Jolyon Palmers analysis video on the collision is pretty conclusive.

  21. Very level-headed, sober assessment from RIC here. Best I’ve seen thus far.

    I still can’t get over how lenient the punishment was!

    1. If Ham is gonna get a penalty out of it at least make it so its very difficult for Ham to score lots of points/win the race.

    2. “Causing a collision” is often 5 seconds so in many ways the penalty was harsher than normal. I think the stewards probably thought they were being severe, because of the nature of the crash and the championship implications.

      However, I believe the penalty should have been harsher still, because of the cynicism on Hamilton’s part. He was not going to make the corner. I cannot agree with those who consider that the contact was unintentional.

  22. NeverElectric
    19th July 2021, 1:40

    Seeing how aggressive Max was defending on the straights – how does he get away with all that weaving around? – it’s no surprise this happened.
    Part of me thinks Lewis didn’t do all he could have done to avoid touching Max (see similar overtake on Leclerc, Lewis chose a much tighter line) effectively to make a point to Max.
    And of course Max had just squeezed Lewis pretty hard in the run up to that incident.
    Cynical, but I think Max kind of needed a little lesson on racing etiquette, just so he can stop being so cocky and dismissive of other drivers (see his recent comments in the Dutch media, about how he’s faster than Lewis and ebtyonr else).

  23. Bob Maplethorpe
    19th July 2021, 1:50

    Lewis is all over the back of Verstappen to start the race and gets clearly past in one spot. He got a better drive out of the previous corner and had quite a bit more speed. You can see Verstappen swing right to block the pass that pull the car left in a jolt to make the corner. The replay shows this swing right and then left. He left a narrow open door on the right side and then tried to slam it shut.

    Watch this 2 or three times and tell me that Senna wouldn’t have made that move! Max would have taken the opportunity as well. The issue is that Hamilton wouldn’t have forced the inside in Max’s position. He is right when he comments on Verstappen bullying people. Maybe next time he won’t swing all over the place entering into the corner.

    I read a great post just a bit ago that stated Horner would have been praising Max as a genius for the move Hamilton made. In the end I think Hamilton got penalized because Max crashed out and the FIA wanted to throw RB a bone.

  24. Both leclerc and Alonso think it was a racing incident,but for some reason Keith conveniently left that out.

    1. Charles Leclerc: “I think it’s a racing incident. It is quite difficult to put the blame on one or the other. Obviously, there was the space on the inside. Maybe Lewis was not completely at the apex, but it’s also true that Max was quite aggressive on the outside.”

    2. Fernando Alonso: “It looked quite close, Lewis had more than half a car alongside Max. So, in a way, Lewis could not disappear from the inside line, it’s not that you can vanish. It was an unfortunate moment of the race, but nothing intentional or nothing that any of the two drivers did wrong in my opinion. That was an unlucky moment.”

    3. Yes. And unlike Aston’s Otmar, Leclerc and Alonso aren’t Mercedes customers so that isn’t a reason for bias on their part (saw lots of nonsensical attacks on Otmar for his views). I hope Keith does an article detailing where each driver’s opinion on the incident lies.

  25. I wonder how many times the little ham practiced that move on the simulator to get it just right?
    It is a simple strategy Lewis.
    Take out Max and you should win unless you stuff up again under the mental torment you are going through being his bitch.
    Make sure you do so somewhere in the 1st lap because if he outsmarts you again its goodbye Charlie.
    As we have seen all season, on an even playing field you are inferior.

    1. F1oSaurus (@)
      19th July 2021, 12:06

      @davidjwest The link doesn’t work, but are you showing the turn in where they indeed were side by side (and which is the only point that matters) or the point after Hamilton tried to avoid Verstappen crashing into him by braking and dropping back?

      1. Yeah it’s just before they turn in, this one any better?

  26. OK so this forum is weird, try this:

    Image

    (Can’t delete posts either)

    1. F1oSaurus (@)
      20th July 2021, 8:35

      That one works yes.

      Or try this one from overhead: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51322501853_61f16ee4d1_h.jpg (forgot who posted it just had it open in a tab still)

  27. jeroen bons
    19th July 2021, 17:16

    Sir (?) Hamilton? Was blaming the victim to back up his defense after a wrong judgement. He called Max Verstappen aggressive but it was aggression that brought him (the attacker) in a position that ruined Max’s race and robbed him of points, wounding him in the process.
    This was a stolen victory and the thief and molester is rewarded.

    1. F1oSaurus (@)
      20th July 2021, 8:38

      So how do you feel about the way Verstappen got past Hamilton in Spain? Do you feel like Horner, proud that Verstappen almost put them both in the fence and that it was lucky that Hamilton swerved out of his way?

      Now Verstappen goes for a “let me stay in front or we crash” action and … well … he crashed. It is inevitable at some point when you keep being overly aggressive like that that it goes wrong.

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