Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Losail International Circuit, 2021

Hamilton move was ‘hard racing, we’re not in kindergarten’ – Verstappen

2021 Qatar Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen says Lewis Hamilton would have defended his position in the same way he did in his controversial lap 48 move at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver also claimed Mercedes’ request for the stewards to review the decision was motivated by Hamilton’s disqualification from qualifying over a technical infringement at the last round.

“They already said after they got disqualified they’re going to complain about every single thing even if there’s tape hanging loose,” Verstappen told Sky. “So I think that’s a normal reaction. So that’s why it’s kind of expected.”

Mercedes requested a review of the incident after the stewards decided not to investigate it during the race. Following the British Grand Prix Red Bull asked the stewards the review their decision to give Hamilton a 10-second time penalty for a collision with Verstappen, which was denied.

Verstappen insisted “there is a bit of a difference” between the two cases. “I mean, he still won the race whereas in Silverstone I was in the wall. So those two are not the same.

“But like I said before, they of course now are upset by being disqualified.”

Verstappen insisted Hamilton would have done the same as he had at Interlagos had the roles been reversed. “If it would have been the other way around in Brazil it would have exactly played out like that,” he said.

“It’s hard racing,” he added. “We are fighting for a championship. We are not here to be in a kindergarten.”

The FIA has said the stewards will decide tomorrow whether a review will go ahead.

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Keith Collantine
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110 comments on “Hamilton move was ‘hard racing, we’re not in kindergarten’ – Verstappen”

  1. I mean, he’s still won the race whereas in Silverstone I was in the wall.

    The fact he thinks that he thinks Hamilton’s finishing position in Silverstone should have any kind of relevance tells you a lot about his misunderstanding of the rules.

    1. Verstappen’s mouth opens and Horner’s voice is heard. Only because of Hamilton’s situational awareness, driving skill and some luck did they not crash in Sao Paulo.

      1. Max was totally in front at Silverstone. Lewis hit his rear tyre for crying out loud! You can’t compare that with what happened at São Paulo!

        1. RandomMallard (@)
          18th November 2021, 21:16

          @kavu Quite different scenarios. The important difference being at Turn 4, no matter which angle you take it from, you have to brake, meaning you can gain ground on both the inside and the outside by braking later. At Copse, it is possible to take it flat, but the person who is on the inside usually has to lift or brake, meaning the person on the inside usually loses ground.

          A small difference, but crucial in this situation. Here, Max had to brake, but chose to do so very, very late, and had a very, very low chance of making the corner. That meant he could gain ground on Lewis. Had it been a slightly quicker corner, and he needn’t have braked or only the car on the inside would need to slow significantly, it’s quite likely that steaming in like Max did would have resulted in a very similar incident to Silverstone.

          I felt Lewis was at fault in Silverstone, and 10 seconds was fair or maybe even a bit harsh, and I feel Max was at fault here, and deserves 5 seconds or s 3 or 5 place grid drop this weekend.

        2. You can! And the governing bodies are!

      2. Its sounds as if Verstappen intends to do a Schumacer ie, take out his rival to secure a championship win.

        He should be in WWF, not F1 motor racing..

        Meanwhile the Stewards have said and done very little to keep verstappen in check.

        1. Ajaxn, that is what Montoya has accused Verstappen of trying to do back in Brazil – his opinion is that Verstappen wasn’t trying to make that corner and was instead hoping to take Hamilton out of the race, only to be disappointed when Hamilton saw him coming and avoided him. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/montoya-verstappen-brazil-hamilton-incident/6794769/

          1. The thing is, if Verstappen were to try the same move and was this time successful at taking Hamilton off, he would perfectly ok with being Disqualified, as he would still maintain his points advantage.

            The FIA need to come up with bigger penalties for those kinds of actions, and make it known in advance that this is what they intend to do should a similar incident occur. Look at Shumacher, the records book wont mention in his world record stats the way he achieved that record.

            I wonder if there’ll be any changes to the makeup of stewards, or their rulings on these matters, given the world’s reactions to this debacle.

    2. Does it? Or does it say that you cannot drive the way Lewis did in Silverstone (it’s totally unacceptable to put a competitors health and safety at risk like that) so without being a wuss and getting out of Lewis’s way I tried everything to hold on as best I could without risking HIS health and safety.

      1. @w0o0dy Max commented about Lewis’ finishing position in Silverstone. As is obvious reading my post, it also relates to the relevancy of Hamilton’s finishing position in Silverstone. Nothing you said has anything to do with this point. Bring the correct argument with you next time, please.

      2. RandomMallard (@)
        18th November 2021, 21:20

        @w0o0dy This incident could easily have put Hamilton’s safety at risk. Slower corner sure, but there is potential for injury in any incident that involves contact (and sometimes without contact). I’ve supported Verstappen this season, mainly because its nice to see a new face fighting at the top and an interesting championship, but this was his fault and was poor driving standards thay in my opinion warrant a penalty.

        1. A fully side by side accident is almost never a serious accident unless you’re doing 250mph in indy cars or 200+ in NASCAR

          1. RandomMallard (@)
            18th November 2021, 22:26

            @w0o0dy But that just isn’t true. Theo Pourchaire broke his wrist in a side by side F2 crash at not much more than 50mph this season. That was an opportunistic dive by another driver that looked pretty clear that is wouldn’t pay off. Side by side crashes can still be hugely dangerous, especially if the wheels touch in a way that launches one of the cars airborne.

            And I don’t think it matters if there is an injury or not, I think for anything where there a reasonable risk of harm to another competitor, which could is pretty much any collision, there needs to be an investigation at the very least.

      3. The only reason they didnt crash in Brasil, is because Hamilton avoided it. Max by braking so late and not turning enough to be on the racing line basicly aimed at a crash. Max also could have avoided the crash in Silverstone, instead he turned in on Lewis (check the onboard) while Lewis was already backing off.

    3. I think you’re misinterpreting that sentence, he’s saying the one on the outside in Silverstone went into the wall, and the one on the outside in Interlagos went on to win. So he’s talking anout Hamilton’s result in Interlagos, not Silverstone.

      1. @hunocsi

        I think you’re misinterpreting that sentence, he’s saying delusional scenarios from his team’s simulations about “what would hamilton do” with BIG/GIANT “IF”.

        Because we did not see that, in fact ham when he sees defeat, he doesnt fight it like there is no tomorrow like max does. Example? like the pointless brazil collusion with Ocon, a guy, a lap or two down with fresh tyres, unlapping himself, he races him! how clever! he could have used a DRS/slipstream opportunity at the next straight, instead decides to collide the guy on the inside! yet, FIA immediately punished OCON! Who by the way done nothing wrong! hit the apex, made the corner (thanx to max trying to block him from outside) on the very same track!

        Another fact is that ham has to fight almost 5 drivers — max, per, tsu, gas, alo on a bad day, whereas max fights only ham! and out of the 5 only max always gets involved in controversial and dangerous moves, and other four drives hard but fair so far!

      2. He was talking about both results. Which is exactly what the stewards do not do (or at least should not do) when deciding on penalties. It doesn’t/shouldn’t matter whether another driver crashed and retired or continued and won due to the incident they are talking about, it is only the incident which should be considered, not the consequences.

    4. It’s not about the finishing position per se.

      It’s about he getting away with purposefully retiring his opponent and being able to continue –and receive a symbolic ‘slap in the wrist’ penalty that he easily overcame in the same race.

      The time for penalties was while it was on course. Not after.

    5. Why was my message deleted?

      Here it goes yet again:

      It’s not about the finishing position per se.

      It’s about he getting away with purposefully retiring his opponent and being able to continue –and receive a symbolic ‘slap in the wrist’ penalty that he easily overcame in the same race.

      The time for penalties was while it was on course. Not after.

  2. Probably, but Hamilton would have made it appeared less deliberate to push you off track and not in the extent of pushing you 10 meters off the track. I think the stewards will also take into account the fact that he pushed Hamilton further than just near off track, but he pushed Hamilton way off the track. I am more persuaded that he will get a penalty because of steering inputs and the fact that he went way off track to defend. But I will not be surprised if the stewards let this off.

    1. I think you misunderstood PUSHING as for pushing there must be a contact while here Lewis drove of the circuit himself.
      Ofcourse Lewis thought there could be a contact and that is why he did that.

      1. There doesn’t have to be contact for someone to be pushed/forced off track. AFAIK, it’s fairly common terminology in racing for a “push” to include giving your opponent the choice between a collision or going off track.

  3. Hard, yes. Racing… not so sure. Racing happens on the track.

    So I’d have to say that going into a corner from behind, off the racing line, with insufficient control over your car to stay on the circuit, going very wide and pushing someone off too, isn’t ‘racing’. It’s reckless lunging and should be treated as such.

    1. Like the “racing” that happened at the first corner of COTA in 2015 :D

      1. Ah you mean the one where Hamilton stayed on the track?

        Regardless just because Hamilton does moves which could be seen to be similar doesn’t mean I agree that those are OK either. I definitely do not like being able to push people off on exit, cars should not have to jump out of the way.

      2. COTA 2015 like imola and spain this year was actually hard but fair racing as hamilton and verstappen in those instances made the track when forcing the other driver wide. Also COTA 2015 was a wet start so not comparable in grip to bone dry Brasil 2021 on lap 48 with 8 lap old hard tyres.

      3. No, nothing like COTA 2015. If you insist on using a Hamilton move (not sure why, unless you’re one of those folk who assume anyone who even slightly criticises one is a fan of the other), Fuji 2008, first corner would be a better example. A deserved penalty for Hamilton for going in too hard, losing control, leaving the track and forcing Raikkonen to also run wide to avoid a collision.

        1. @neilosjames excellent example! Drive-through penalty I believe. Personally I miss the days of drive throughs. They were harsh, but for me, the 5 seconds penalties encourage dirty driving, with drivers knowing they will net gain from a dirty move that gets them past.

  4. A little bit over the limit but still enjoyable to watch. I honestly do think that driving / defending is changing due the DRS advantage. The overspeed is so huge that if you want to do something it gets on the edge. Like weaving on the straight and super late diving by the guy with DRS (Tsunoda on Stroll).

    1. a little bit in your dictionary means 5-6 f1 cars wide off the track ?

  5. if he had attempted ​to stay on track, I would agree but this was a professional foul, not racing

    1. @moshambles Either it was deliberate or Verstappen isn’t as good a driver as many claim.

      1. @scbriml

        Either it was deliberate or Verstappen isn’t as good a driver as many claim

        That’s basically my view, too. If Verstappen is as good as everyone says, as good as I think he is, then it’s highly unlikely that he accidentally braked such a significant amount late that he went several meters off track. It is much more likely that he realised this was the only way he could keep Hamilton behind him, so he deliberately drove off track to keep his position. That would definitely amount to gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track, and should be penalised.

        If he didn’t do it on purpose, which I find hard to believe, then he demonstrated far fewer wheel-to-wheel racing skills than I would expect from a driver I, and others, rate as highly as him.

  6. If Lewis didn’t take evasive action Max would now be in 19 points championship lead. In Austria Lando got penalty for being with all four wheels on the track ‘forcing’ Perez to run wide. This time excursion of two cars off the track is utterly justifiable. I can go along with kindergarten explanation, and this kindergarten is being run by Michael Masi.

    1. :-)

    2. 19 pt how do you see that? he was already on 21pt if both were taken out if he could take out Lewis it would be 45 points.

      1. You are right, had they both gone off, then Max would have preserved his 21 pts lead. If Hamiton had come off worst, eg Verstappen rear contact with Hamilton’s front suspension, then who knows how many extra point he would have added to his 21 points.

        That would have been a championship decider with now way back. That move was a make or break , a gamble Verstappen had already decided on coming into the race. Ditto Horner when he calls the stewards with his one liner “Micheal, that’s all about letting them race, that’s ALL about letting them race”, he already has that line prepared.

        Remember the weekend started with the same stewards penalising Hamilton for that apparently 0.2mm infringement on his rear wing, after it was first ‘tested’ by that magician Verstappen for its regidity. They then keep the offending part so no one is able to further scrutinise the part or their decission. It makes you wonder doesn’t it. How fair is fair.

        0.2 mm less than the thickness of the human hair, could a person do that, physically manhandle that part, remember Verstappen before the world press, had 2 goes to get it right.

  7. geoffgroom44 (@)
    18th November 2021, 20:53

    “As a driver I think we know exactly what we can and cannot do in the car”. Verstappen quote from a news conference reported by ESPN today.
    Just as we expect,drivers at this level know what they are doing. This being so it suggests to me that Max intentionally created this scenario and any ‘defence’ about a ‘safer’ way to take the corner – by going many meters off the track – is a somewhat childish argument.
    Hard driving I like.Driving that treats the rules like they are for everyone else, that I don’t like.
    I do most sinecerely hope that Lewis teaches this young wannabe ASBO guy a big championship lesson.

  8. Max is delusional bringing up Silverstone feeding red meat to his hardcore base, did he forgot that he torpedoed Lewis at Monza when he saw red mist due to a botched pit stop?

    outbursts like this is why I think Lewis will win the WDC this year, Max appears unnerved and he is breaking under pressure plus being more irrational as the season draws to an end

    hope wunderkind gets a 10 second penalty and loose 2nd and drop more points to Lewis

    1. Max is not bringing up Silverstone. The interviewer does that.

    2. Nofanboysplease
      18th November 2021, 22:52

      Maybe you should ask who brings up the silverstone case in this? Max or Ted (british) kravitz?

    3. The comparison with Silverstone was not his te begin with. In fact if you read or listened he does not compare them.

  9. Max bringing up Silverstone tells you it was not hard racing but some weird sort of retribution in his own head. Silverstone was hard racing, a racing incident. Brazil was a disgusting act of bad sportsmanship on Verstappens part, now made worse by his explanation. Hamilton would never have done the same Mr. Bean.

    1. Kpcart Except that I doubt Max brought up Silverstone but was likely asked about Silverstone. It is only your opinion that Silverstone was hard racing. The stewards decided it was penalty worthy towards LH. Brazil was a racing incident only noteworthy. by the stewards.

      1. Who did not have all the data available to make an informed decision. Now they do!

  10. RandomMallard (@)
    18th November 2021, 21:08

    There is racing, and then there’s going several metres off track forcing your rival with it. I’ve generally been supportive of Max this season but sometimes he would do better to just accept that he’s in the wrong. At best, this was him steaming in too hot, leaving the track and gaining an advantage. What I wonder is would this have been solved any easier if Verstappen had just given up the place like in Bahrain. I know we’re at opposite ends of the season and I reckon there could still have been talks, but this now has the potential to compromise further into his championship lead than just giving up the place.

  11. So he’s admitting that he intentionally didn’t make the corner rather than it being an accident. That seems like an odd choice.

  12. Bottas didn’t run Verstappen off the track at turn 1, lap 1. Does this mean he should have?

  13. Lewis has a track record of doing exactly the same to Rosberg, for many races..

    1. @maxv Just like Rosberg used to do to Hamilton as well but I guess that conveniently slips your memory!

      Either way that was and always had been racing, in whichever category you chose to watch. If you did will enough to get your full car level round the outside you were given room. If you just had your front wing in then you made a choice, lift and slot in behind or run wide. Had been like that long before Hamilton came on the scene and no rules were specifically made for him, unlike the Verstappen rule brought in for weaving in the breaking zone. Looks like we need another one as he’s been at it since Austria a few years back against LeClerc with his move or we crash style.

    2. list a single case in which hamilton went off track to keep Rosberg behind.
      Just one.

      You Max guys are missing the point with all these examples that doesnt fit.
      It would be legal if he kept it on track. Understand that.

    3. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
      19th November 2021, 7:29

      You won’t find a single occasion where Lewis didn’t have the racing line and therefore the right – within the rules – to do as he did. That was hard racing, what Max did in Sao Paulo was just cheating.

  14. At the start of the season, I was hoping that someone other than Hamilton would finally win the championship. But now I’m truly hoping that Hamilton wins the championship again. Verstappen is obviously extremely talented and a new champion would be great, but he is just too unlikable and unsportsmanlike. I hope he grows up.

  15. Nice trying to make it look like I get it wrong when you failed to comprehend the text you quoted. Bye argument lost, better luck next time, or maybe read better next time.

    1. @Ninjenius that message was for you

      1. Oh dear! You really are lost, aren’t you. Ill pray for you.

  16. Are they just milking the last drop of this scene. I bet (don’t know for sure) they could have worked 1h longer on that sunday night just to get this cleared. Now we have waited almost a week so the journalists can ask this again. But on my point of view its not a penalty. Verstappen braked late and went off. Hamilton probably knew that if he goes for that outside move Verstappen will keep the inside line closed as long as its possible. Whoever has that inside line has the shortest route through the corner. Outside line has always more risk to it. If something happens for the “inside line driver” he may take you out if you’re not carefull.
    The best place to overtake is from the inside but if the door is closed then you know that you take the risk by going outside. Nothing says that if you take the inside line you must stay there. If you brake a little too late and maybe go off the track then the guy on the outside line can use swichback. Hamilton didn’t have to go off himself but neither did Verstappen. It was rough but it was racing.

    1. Verstappen braked late and went off

      And as a result gained/maintained an advantage, at the least, which deserves a 5 second — regardless of the outcome of the race.

    2. I would agree with all of this except for one very important factor… Max did not stay on track! Had he stayed on track, no arguments. It would’ve been a hard but FAIR move. He didn’t stay on track and that is what makes this an issue.

      1. Had he stayed on track, no arguments. It would’ve been a hard but FAIR move.

        Completely agreed. Had Max been able to brake that much later and stay on track, his position gave him the right to run Lewis off the track.

        It makes all the difference in the world, though, that he didn’t even come close to staying on track. He braked far too late, which is the only reason he maintained a position far enough ahead to have the right to force Lewis off track. Had he braked in time to make the corner, there is a very good chance Hamilton would have still been ahead, and Max wouldn’t have had that right to the exit of the corner.

    3. Netflix mate.

  17. This is just like the crowding of the referee in football (soccer and probably N.A football), I don’t enjoy it ,it’s unsporting and mars the championship.

  18. ‘We are not here to be in a kindergarten’

    True…but its not Mario Kart either.. He has no real race craft apart from ‘get out the way or we crash’. I think he needs to lay off the Sim racing for a while to stop warping he’s judgement on what real racing is…

  19. If an incident like this is penalized, the sport is practically dead…

    1. If it’s not penalised I think you mean.

      1. What I find strange about fans saying that they think this is entertaining or good racing is that if this sort of move is allowed, it’s entirely impossible to overtake someone at a corner.

        If you are allowed to divebomb corners, all you need to do is take the inside line and as long as you are within about 2 car lengths arriving at the corner, you just don’t brake. By the standards of the defenders of this move you will arrive at the apex of the corner ‘in front’, you are just going way too fast. The other guy can’t turn in, good defence made.

        It’s probably spectacular for a few weeks until those same people who championed it work out why it’s a problem and suddenly you’ll find everyone is complaining that you can only overtake in China or Spa where there is a long enough straight with powerful enough DRS to totally blast past your opponent on the straight.

        1. That’s a sensible reply, not like many of the emotionally charged comments we are seeing for this post.

        2. @tdm

          if this sort of move is allowed, it’s entirely impossible to overtake someone at a corner.

          That is simply untrue, as cornering this way is typically very slow, so a cutback overtake is then possible.

          1. Let’s look again at Brazil. As Lewis had braked as late as possible to safely make it around the corner he was carrying momentum into the corner which would then carry through and onto the next straight. He could not turn in because Max is there, he could not brake more because he would either just carry straight on and then be slower out of the corner (braking and turning overwhelming the front tyres) or rotate the car, it’s unlikely he could cleanly slow down enough to let Max through and cut back behind him, hence he had to follow Max’s line.

            Cut back works if either both drivers are attempting to make the corner, therefore differing lines will allow for the cutback OR the attacking driver sees an error coming and the ‘defending’ driver doesn’t time the dive bomb correctly.

            Regardless, dive bombing is really really dangerous and should be discouraged.

            Also one of the dangers of allowing this let them race style (as we are already seeing here) is where do you stop? How far off the track is OK? If both drivers just feel like skipping a load of corners because they are ‘racing hard’ is that OK? Only for the front runners?

    2. So running your opponent 25m off track to avoid an overtake is OK?

  20. They are not the same because Lewis took evasive action in Brazil whereas Max drove into Hamilton in Silverstone. The outcome doesn’t matter, what’s being judged is the actual incident not if they ended up on the wall. If so then Max should have taken a 20 place grid drop for his stupid actions at Monza.

    Another thing Max is failing to realise is that at Silverstone Lewis missed the apex but kept the car on track at all times whereas as he turned his car into a moving wall and went off track by miles. He came in too hot, missed the apex, did not make an effort to turn in, deliberately pushed a driver off track and off he went himself. That’s not racing that’s kindergarten stuff and thus he should be penalised.

  21. “It’s hard racing,” he added. “We are fighting for a championship. We are not here to be in a kindergarten.”

    But everybody is here to race hard except you Max. You’re there to collide.

  22. Of course Hamilton would! You cannot do it, so stop, racing. Only Ham can race.

  23. Fact remains his defending moves was way off track. So it shouldn’t be a legal move therefore he should get a penalty for it the same as what happen in austria for less than that. At least a 5s penalty. Not doing so would make a precedent of driver pushing another off track

  24. No you’re not in kindergarten but maybe you should have stayed there a bit longer to learn how to behave like a man.

    1. I wish this website had “Like” buttons. Your comment deserves thousands of “Likes”.

  25. Verstappen is easily one of the best drivers on the grid, he is fast consistent and has the driving skills to be a WDC. I can understand why Liberty a large part of the F1 media circus and his fans love Verstappen. He is exciting to watch and brings a aggression to F1 that promises fireworks everytime he gets into a car.
    But his ‘crash or crash through’ attitude distracts from his skills and will not add anything of value to his memory in the future.

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th November 2021, 7:18

      @johnrkh I hugely agree with this conclusion. Max at his best is an outstandingly quick and impressive driver. See how he controlled Mexico or COTA or his fight back in France for that. But at the same time he can be very reckless and make some moves that would hurt him much more than if he just let the other drivers by.

  26. Since this keeps being referenced, help me understand Silverstone. Lewis was in front on the inside (reasonably tight) and Max started to pass him, with his rear tire hitting Lewis’s front. I still don’t see how Lewis was “predominantly” to blame.
    https://youtu.be/WzmkhotpaRw?t=121

    1. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
      19th November 2021, 7:37

      @kcrossle He wasn’t. Jolyon Palmer described it as a racing incident and said the penalty was simply there to placate Red Bull (though it seems to have had the opposite effect). Karun Chandhok said it was a racing incident and no action was necessary. Alex Albon, wearing a Red Bull driver’s uniform(!) said it was a racing incident, not deserving of a penalty,… I could go on, nearly everyone thought it was a racing incident.

    2. @kcrossle

      Lewis was the one trying to pass on the inside…

  27. He may think he’s not in kindergarten but this attitude shows he still belongs there.

    He’s come a long way since 2016, but this attitude is so childish. He will never admit when he makes a mistake.

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th November 2021, 7:19

      @skipgamer Agree. I like Max because on his day he is very very quick and impressive. However, he can also be very reckless and does seem unable to acknowledge when he makes a mistake.

      1. Sad truth. (Coming from a traitor)

  28. Being a racing driver and that his entire career is sort of built on it, it is absolutely amazing to see Max doesn’t seem to understand that racing happens on the track and he leaving the track by quite a margin to keep a competitor from passing him is not racing, let alone “hard” racing.

  29. @randommallard Max got REALLY lucky not to be injured. A 175mph crash has a pretty high risk of serious injury. That’s why Hamilton got off way too easy. This situation would have meant damage to the car and maybe bruised egos but nothing else because they would have simply gone off into the huge run-off and slower down gradually. Taking risks with other drivers safety should make a difference in the punishment. This was quite safe and Max did it this way to try and hold on, not to crash if you don’t give in. He simply went wide.

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th November 2021, 7:15

      @w0o0dy But it’s quite clear that the stewards don’t want to take into account the consequences of the incident, just the incident itself. I don’t disagree that Max’s 52g impact (allegedly) could have seriously hurt him. However I don’t feel that it should be the difference between penalising Silverstone and not penalising this. Max was equally or more out of control/order here than Hamilton was in Silverstone, and should be penalised for it

  30. An “incident” like this shouldn’t be spoke about this long, it appears in an era of indefensible DRS overtakes, that any kind of battle should result in a penalty for one or the other, there was no contact, it didn’t even effect the outcome. Hamilton breezing past slow cars with DRS is heralded and when his rival attempts to defend there’s outrage in the community, this appears to be a different sport to a decade or 2 ago

    1. Are you missing the likes of Schumacher crashing into their rival to win the WDC?

  31. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
    19th November 2021, 7:09

    I find this a little saddening, because on the evidence of this season he actually believes those words. But Hamilton was very nearly a car’s length ahead and on the correct line at the braking point, Verstappen only got the corner back by deliberately driving them both off track. That’s not racing, it’s cheating. And had Hamilton not reacted so quickly to avoid a collision, one or both of them would likely have retired.

    Formula One isn’t supposed to be about crashing people out of your way, it should be about cleverly manoeuvring your opponent out of position and then nailing the overtake with surgical precision. If the stewards don’t get a handle on Verstappen’s behaviour the sport is going to slide downhill rapidly.

    1. AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
      19th November 2021, 7:21

      Exactly. Max never intended to make that corner fair and square otherwise we would have seen a lockup at the very least considering how late he braked. He wanted to take a wider trajectory out of the corner and in the process take Hamilton out with questionable damage to his car.

  32. RandomMallard (@)
    19th November 2021, 7:22

    One other note: PLEASE stop blaming Masi for this mess. The dude is far from perfect, but he seems to be sat in the dock over something he has no control over. Only the stewards have the power to investigate something, Masi can’t force them to do so, nor can he force them not to do so. I get that the FIA to Team radio can make it appear this way, but in reality that’s only because Masi is the team’s most senior liaison with the FIA during a race.

  33. Kimberley Barrass
    19th November 2021, 7:25

    No matter which side of the fence you are on, or if you are a fan of a particular driver – can we all agree that there is absolutely no consistency in the rulings from the FIA stewards at least? – I think this is the absolute root cause of the problem – and certainly the reason Mercedes are appealing. – Imagine if no one had had a penalty for that kind of move over the past season and there was a ‘let them race’ philosophy that was implemented all season. – We would all, I think, be in a much happier place! – The same is true if these moves had been penalised every time – again – I think we would all be happier!

    After all – this is a very memorable, exciting season and I for one can’t wait to watch the final three races!!

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th November 2021, 8:43

      Yep that’s definitely the worst problem here. Yes Verstappen’s move was probably worth penalising, but the stewards can be so hit-and-miss, especially on pushing people off the track incidents. For every incident one way, there’s another incident that goes the other way.

    2. We can expect a race season of collisions now, that would be the most logic with this outcome.

  34. Silverstone is silly to bring up, Hamilton on inside overtaking Max after Verstappen already made 3 or 4 mistakes corners before (somehow people missed this!) and so loosing speed, still tried to hold on as if he was in front and steers in on a racingline that wasn’t his anymore, Brasil was the same but opposite lines and positions though same attitude to keep position when you’ve been beaten already, onboard shows the deliberate moves to countersteer with that speed gives you a straight onwards move anyone who went of in rain or dirt or high speed knows this.. the chap is doing this since his early kartingdays ive seen him doing it over and over again… and i never got it why on earth he got away with driving in his oen world with his own rules, en ja i’m Dutch and like Schumacher sometimes people should have been banned from racing before they make it bigger and hurt someone. It does the racingsport no good, and ive been doing ang watching this for a long time, not like the fans since Verstappen got in, i raced his dad and at least he gave his line up if you got him, the worshipping from childhood in the Netherlands from small boy on made him think that he really is that good as people told him his moves stayed unpunished , af a childhood and so he never ever learned from his mistakes to be honest they got cheered on, he wins more going off track than staying on it, he had always top material so no need for the tricks if yr that ‘good’ and the best mechanic Jos
    , ask Leclerc and Ocon and many unknown racers in lesser material when they moved on him what happened next… in Cik,Wsk etc ah yes… ik ben Nederlands and always supported the Brits they can race fair and still make it worth to watch for spectators in any decade 😉

    1. I forgot to mention, yes he has a incredible car control and thats why his moves shouldn’t stay unpunished because he is capable of avoiding all these amount of incidents at the first place. (Must have learned too much from his german uncle) they were close friends.

  35. Any penalty post-steward enquiry is ridiculous, especially considering there was NO contact. But in the case something has to be done, I suggest we keep it fair and DSQ MV from Brazil, and simultaneously DSQ LH from Silverstone.

  36. I actually liked this site, as there was way less toxic behaviour. But look now… its not fun anymore reading the hateful and ridicolous comments by biased lewis and max fanboys. Before there were insightful and funny comments, now its mostly hate. You guys are making the comments aweful for real fans 😔😥.

  37. Simple solution, any time a car leaves the track, for any reason other than a mechanical failure, they get a penalty point. If another car drove off line to force them wide then they also receive a point.
    Every 5 points earns a spin on the Wheel of Misfortune. (grid drops, drive throughs etc).
    It would generally punish bad or sloppy driving whilst still allowing a chance for the odd risky pass now and then

    1. TBH, I could go for something like this, although I’d just say “every 5 points = 5s penalty”. I’d also give the stewards the power to remove points if a driver is forced wide or goes off track to avoid an accident not of their making.

  38. Yes more hard racing please. RaceFans readers can never be pleased—or at least the criteria for doing so is simple unrealistic.

    Just don’t touch, keep it out of the walls; and keep up the hard racing. I’m loving it.

    Also getting a giggle out of the extraordinary effort so many commenters here put into their complaints. Ridiculous.

  39. Even if it is found to be acceptable to drive your opponent off the track, Verstappen should have stayed on the track, and this corner was one of the monitored ones, so he should be given a 5 sec penalty just for that infringement.

  40. Throughout his career Lewis did this a couple of times. Look for how to become a WDC.

  41. Shocking to see how little actual racing knowledge is amongst the fans. How most are not capable of properly judging a situation. That makes this forum so entertaining.

    1. And you are the perfect example of how little actual racing knowledge is amongst the fans. Thank you for enlightening us.

  42. Traitor-in-chief.

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