In the round-up: Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton exchanged digs at each other over their collision last year at Silverstone.
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In brief
Hamilton and Verstappen exchange barbs over Silverstone collision
A pointed remark by Hamilton about his duel for position with Charles Leclerc in last weekend’s British Grand Prix prompted a response from Verstappen yesterday.Hamilton and Verstappen collided at Copse in the race 12 months ago. The Mercedes driver was judged “predominantly to blame” for the collision by the stewards who noted he had “room available to the inside” when contact was made between him and Verstappen on his outside.
During Sunday’s race Hamilton successfully went through Copse side-by-side with Leclerc. “He’s a very sensible driver, clearly a lot different to what I experienced last year,” Hamilton said of the Ferrari driver in an interview with Sky.
Asked for his response to this by Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, Verstappen replied: “I think it’s great that, when you’re 37 years old, at some point you understand how to get the apex. So he will learn.”
AlphaTauri need rain to be competitive this weekend – Gasly
Pierre Gasly says AlphaTauri’s car is unlikely to suit the Red Bull Ring. “The more high-speed corners we have, the more we struggle because we don’t have the load,” he said. “The low-speed corners like Baku, for example, we seem to be more competitive.
“So on paper this one is not going to be an easy one. But that’s why if it rains it brings the minimum speed lower, which is always better for us. So we’ll see.”
Perez welcomes change in luck
Sergio Perez felt like he deserved a change in luck at the British Grand Prix, after the appearance of the Safety Car helped him to finish second, having fallen to the back of the field early on.
“I felt like I [was] definitely back into the game,” Perez said. “It’s probably the first time, definitely in [this] season that a Safety Car helps me so I was happy with it.”
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Esteban Ocon has a new set of wheels this weekend #F1 #AustriaGP pic.twitter.com/yqdMelxqGq
— Claire Cottingham (@Cla_Cottingham) July 7, 2022
Early rain in the paddock on Thursday has dried up but it's due to return on Saturday evening and could linger until the grand prix…https://t.co/boWgrwOnhf#F1 #AustrianGP #RaceFans pic.twitter.com/uSRgyVAqBt
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) July 7, 2022
🚨FRECA NEWS:
Dilano will be replaced by Francesco Braschi for the 6th round in Budapest. Due to his injury, Dilano is not able to drive.
Unfortunately, Michael Belov cannot participate in this weekend's FRECA round at Hungaroring for personal reasons. #FRECA pic.twitter.com/TRJKlwCb0D
— MP Motorsport (@OfficialMPteam) July 7, 2022
Great to get back to @iowaspeedway today! 230+ laps in the books. Felt really strong all day. Only 7 cars but always nice to be P1! Can’t wait to get back here for the race. @ToddAultIII @ECRIndy pic.twitter.com/ikcjFTyDnt
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) July 7, 2022
Dear @CSainz_oficial, I am happy you are safe. We will review the report and look into the matter with our @FIA safety department. https://t.co/zuRAq8g0ea
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) July 7, 2022
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Can Andretti Conquer F1... Again? (GQ)
Michael Andretti: "It’s a very snobbish approach they’re taking. Ultimately, we’re going to bring more value than we’re going to take away."
F1 announces the world's first official Formula 1 exhibition (Formula 1)
The Formula 1 Exhibition will tell its story with unprecedented access in a partnership with Manhattan West and renowned production company Round Room Studios – that produced or promoted the likes of Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I'm Free, and Mandela: The Official Exhibition.
Insider: How Arrow McLaren SP will decide its third IndyCar driver for next season (Indy Star)
'I had to agree on terms for both,' Rosenqvist said this past weekend at Mid-Ohio. 'It was almost like doing two contracts, and Zak has the final say over where I’m going to be.'
Has juggernaut Prema seen off an unlikely F3 crisis? (Formula Scout)
This is the team that obliterates the opposition in F3. It last went title-free in the category in 2010 (while competing in the Italian and Euro Series), but in 2022 it took a long time to get off the mark. It came close a couple of times prior to Arthur Leclerc’s feature race win at Silverstone last weekend.
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Comment of the day
After the roll hoop structure appeared to fail on Zhou Guanyu’s car, Green Flag points out that absorbing an impact sometimes means a structure collapsing, to prevent what it’s protecting feeling the force:
The roll hoop absorbed the initial impact and the halo protected the driver after that. So the system worked. Could it be improved? Most likely, but the cars are pretty darn safe right now.
Zhou’s, Romain’s crashes, and Max’s last year, were as bad as F1 has experienced yet all three drivers are still racing.
@greenflag
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Ev!
On this day in motorsport

G
8th July 2022, 0:11
Sometimes Lewis would be better off just keeping his mouth closed. I’m not sure why he is trying to justify the Silverstone shunt a year later, he’s fooling nobody but himself and a few diehard fans.
Leclerc didn’t leave any less room than Max did at Copse.
Fair play to Max for not taking any crap, on and off the track.
Leeroy (@leeroy)
8th July 2022, 0:34
Totally agree, Sir Lewis doesnt know how to accept fault.
Nick (@filge90)
8th July 2022, 1:05
Spot on!
DaveW (@dmw)
8th July 2022, 1:54
Oh my. Same Verstappen who missed the apex by a mile in Brazil and drove both himself and Hamilton off the road? We all make mistakes.
Horacio (@ahoracio)
8th July 2022, 6:06
Exactly.
jff
8th July 2022, 6:06
Indeed, we all make mistakes.
And that’s why it’s wrong to claim one year later it was the other guy.
w0o0dy
8th July 2022, 9:44
Exactly, who got punished? Lewis was found to be predominantly to blame for the Silverstone shunt.
Claiming it is anything other than his wrong doing makes it look even more like he did it on purpose because he pretends to be blameless when it’s clear as day that he wasn’t.
Discusting tactics but then… He has a long and wel documented history of hitting people on the back tyre… Albon, Vettel, Verstappen… To name a few.
slowmo (@slowmo)
8th July 2022, 9:59
The stewards said Hamilton was predominantly to blame, that is not wholly. Clearly Verstappen had some blame in the accident, get over it. And no, Hamilton has a long history of racing cleanly and not had any issues with any driver other than Verstappen.
w0o0dy
8th July 2022, 11:08
@slowmo: sure long history on racing cleanly.
https://youtu.be/B7Z4bvI_wLE
slowmo (@slowmo)
8th July 2022, 13:11
Not even covering last few years which included some of his worst behaviour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkAoSghdD6Y&ab_channel=FORMULA1
Funny how many champions he’s smashed into and yet never his fault…
Ajaxn
8th July 2022, 7:43
Once again we ignore the questions posed by the press and focus only on the reply….
That’s the thing about the press. their own prompting is never part of the final story.
As for hitting the Apex, obviously this based on the approach, which starts well before the apex.
iCarbs (@icarby)
8th July 2022, 7:56
Let the kids squabble… both coulda, shoulda, woulda, but… neither wanted to yield therefore crash they did
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
8th July 2022, 8:50
Yes! They remind me of squabbling siblings just trying to get one up on the other. No one cares anymore. Best just be quiet…
SteveP
8th July 2022, 7:58
The main difference, I would say, is that Leclerc didn’t cut in across the front and thereby clip Hamiltons front left.
Maybe he could see the value in remaining on the tarmac alongside a rival.
w0o0dy
8th July 2022, 9:47
You are wrong with that claim. Look up the analysis that was made by Crashalong F1
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xGgpdb2WhRE
G
8th July 2022, 10:25
@SteveP
No. If Lewis had kept to the room he was given, the same room Leclerc have him, they wouldn’t have crashed.
This, in my opinion, is what caused the war between them and the resulting incidents in the following races.
anon
8th July 2022, 8:01
You talk about “fooling nobody but himself and a few diehard fans” fans, but it’s pretty obvious that applies both ways. Any other driver who said something like that would be bashed as being “disrespectful” – but here, it’s “fair play” for Max.
jff
8th July 2022, 8:38
The ‘disrespectful’ part was said on Sunday (this comment IMO was a rather spot-on sarcastic come-back – but views will differ).
I suggest you* keep to your often excellent technical, historical, regulatory inside views and analysis; your views on drivers seems rather biased.
* I assume you are the same ‘anon’ as the other ‘anon’.
Charlie
8th July 2022, 9:16
You’re so right. When journalists ask Lewis a question he should just stare at them blankly.
theRealMax (@millionus)
8th July 2022, 11:58
Surely everyone sees this as a bit of fun. I quite like it that they niggle at each other. I’m sure they both have a cup of tea at the end of the day and work out how to give the press some more column inches…
sato113 (@sato113)
8th July 2022, 0:49
What’s Carlos sainz snr complaining about in that tweet?
MacLeod (@macleod)
8th July 2022, 7:46
About a crash not sure in what for event.
Aapie
8th July 2022, 8:42
Extreme E
jff
8th July 2022, 8:56
Extreme-E
https://www.gpfans.com/es/f1-noticias/86660/carlos-sainz-sr-al-hospital-por-accidente-en-la-extreme-e/
Cobray (@)
8th July 2022, 1:19
As I said after the race, Lewis had a very good weekend. Why did he have to make that dumb comment and open a can of worms?
The remark on Horner was unnecessarily rude too. If anything, it emphasized how good his driving was with subpar tire choice and a slow pitstop.
Emma
8th July 2022, 5:54
There’s this attitude that Lewis should be a cheek-turning saint at all times that I don’t understand. Listen to Horner for just 5 minutes and he’ll almost always slip in some condescending remark about Mercedes (watch that Cambridge talk for instance) and yet Lewis should never say anything remotely negative about him?
Nick T.
8th July 2022, 12:30
Turn the cheek? He wasn’t insulted. Secondly, no one expects that of him. He gets mobbed because he constantly brings up a million opinions unprompted. Fair play to him for that. I think everyone should be able to express whatever they want. But don’t be surprised when you get a reaction. Positive or negative.
Yammerput
8th July 2022, 1:23
Watching F1 is beginning to feel like watching a handsome, intelligent, older man getting tattoos and dressing up in trendy streetwear in order to get a piece of 20 year old tail.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
8th July 2022, 1:43
I don’t understand what 37 feet apex was. Is it common to write 37 old with 37′? So 37 years and 4 months is 37′ 4″?
Antz (@antznz)
8th July 2022, 6:10
@ruliemaulana it’s indicating the end of a ‘quote’
Nick T.
8th July 2022, 12:31
LMAO.
Edvaldo
8th July 2022, 4:34
Hamilton isn’t even a contender this year but he annoys Max more than the Ferrari crew, who are all but dead on the water by this point.
Wayne
8th July 2022, 5:50
Good point.i said it before that Horner and max are obsessed with Lewis toto and merc. Its as tho they think of them from the moment they wake up to the moment they wake up again.then they try to act as though they not soo obsessed.just too funny.
jff
8th July 2022, 6:13
Patrick (@anunaki)
8th July 2022, 6:41
It was a joke
Ruben
8th July 2022, 6:52
Yup, another tweet from a Motorsport journalist to underline this.
Antz (@antznz)
8th July 2022, 6:06
It’s absurd that Andretti, probably the worlds premier racing brand is having so much resistance getting into F1. Tbh that’s a long article, i didn’t read it all so might have missed some parts… But they’ve clearly got the motivation and resources to be successful and having more cars and drivers can only be good for the spectacle. Especially at a time that F1 is making a big attempt to get widen it’s American influence. I get the impression that current teams know they will be on the grid but their reluctance to support them may postpone their appearance for a season two. I think they’re simply trying to drag it out?
I really love the new cars & racing in 2022 but F1 is frustrating to follow, always one step forward and 2 steps back…
David (@nvherman)
8th July 2022, 9:27
@antznz
Maybe North America’s premier racing brand, but outside of that territory? No way.
Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and Audi all hold greater claim to that title than Andretti, who really only exist in Indycar.
Nick T.
8th July 2022, 12:33
Andretti barely has any name recognition as a racing brand even in America outside racing circles. And I say this as someone who loves Mario. His, son, Michael. Less so.
Antz (@antznz)
9th July 2022, 0:42
@nvherman growing up in NZ, Andretti was always a big name here. I did try to write it to exclude manufacturers but I could have been more explicit! Outside of manufacturers, who’s bigger?
Andretti is also in Formula E, Extreme E, Audtralian supercars plus the American series and I know they fake elsewhere… I’m curious which other non manufacturer racing brands have so much global coverage?? Who am I missing?
Edvaldo
8th July 2022, 13:37
Andretti isn’t even the premier racing brand on Indycar lol. Penske is.
Ruben
8th July 2022, 6:41
Some more parallels between last year’s British GP and this year’s: Both red flagged because of a heavy crash at Copse. Both only resumed after the driver was out and declared ok. Both times Hamilton finished on the podium, yet only this year he managed to address the driver involved right after getting out of the car.
Why that matters? Last year it was the moment where the gloves really came off in the championship. It wasn’t just the incident, but how Hamilton failed to care for his opponent there and then. And in minor how he still got away with the win. It’s (I believe) a reason many Verstappen fans didn’t feel very sorry for Hamilton in Abu Dhabi later in the year (a completely different series of events, but.. karma).
Interesting that Hamilton either still doesn’t see that or likes to stir the pot.
Schummel Schumi (@schummelschumi)
8th July 2022, 7:33
The crash this year didn’t happen at Copse
Ruben
8th July 2022, 7:41
You’re right, sorry for that! I would edit if I could :)
Red Andy (@red-andy)
8th July 2022, 9:09
Copse will always be Turn 1 in my head too.
Horacio (@ahoracio)
8th July 2022, 6:45
Sheer pettiness. Max is talking about a driver who has been at the most demanding category of motorsports for 16 years and has not only seven world titles to his name but also scored at least one win in every one of his first 15 seasons. But Max thinks that Hamilton is “learning”.
Oh, well… I wish this forum has a “facepalm” emoji, because Max’s comment deserves one.
Patrick (@anunaki)
8th July 2022, 6:51
It was a a joke, lighten up
Ruben
8th July 2022, 6:53
Petty, maybe, but when asked he came with a reply that wasn’t wrong though.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
8th July 2022, 7:03
You can be all that and still say stupid things. Lewis made a snarky comment, Max responded. End of story.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
8th July 2022, 9:11
I agree @ahoracio. Silly to suggest Hamilton is still “learning” after such a long time in the sport. He knew exactly how to hit an apex last year, he just chose not to.
w0o0dy
8th July 2022, 9:49
It’s a reply (with a joke) on the completely false and disrespectful jab Hamilton tried to put against Max about LeClerc bein g the more sensible driver. And how false it is can be seen in this analysis
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xGgpdb2WhRE
G
8th July 2022, 13:45
@wOoOdy
It’s also clear looking at the onboards as well.
Max turned in on him yet Charles is fair? With the same line?
I think they were wrong to only place Lewis predominantly at fault last year and not fully. Probably a British driver on home turf decision.
If he had won the title and this contributed to it, then it would have been a travesty.
slowmo (@slowmo)
9th July 2022, 18:42
He got an appropriate penalty, get over it
Jere (@jerejj)
8th July 2022, 7:46
Weird & unnecessary sarcasm.
I initially thought Sainz Jr had been in hospital.
COTD is right. Room for improvement, but already very safe.
tielemst
8th July 2022, 8:46
Here we go again…Max was asked how he felt about Lewis’ comments and he and the reporter had a laugh about it. Trust the media and socials to explode over it.
Ruben
8th July 2022, 8:51
Oh if the roles were reversed and Max had made the original comment that Lewis made, I bet that would’ve been an article and a row on its own a week ago.
Emma
8th July 2022, 8:58
Same way you’re posting the same crap over and over on different articles? I mean this stuff here:
tielemst
8th July 2022, 9:24
It’s interesting though. I do think in this case if Max had this the english media would have made more out of it, just like the dutch media chose to when Lewis did it. And the dutch and english media spin it so the public they get their money from will feel connected to the story and the image the media are creating of the persons involved. Max would likely be portrayed by the english media as a self centered, arrogant child, and Lewis would be portrayed by the dutch media as a sore loser who can’t stop whining and is a dishonest, mediatrained Toto Wolff puppet.
Funny thing is that it doesn’t matter who said what first, it would go down the same lines either way.
Ruben
8th July 2022, 9:04
That’s not over and over, I’ve copied it once because it’s relevant here too. And I wonder what’s the crap (classy way to qualify someone else’s opinion, just because it doesn’t align with yours) part in this?
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
8th July 2022, 9:51
Good banter back and forth, shows the drivers aren’t done fighting it out yet once Mercedes builds Lewis a better car. Exciting.
slowmo (@slowmo)
8th July 2022, 10:09
This is the best take on the quote. I don’t think Verstappen wants to open up that can of worms again and was offering Hamilton a way out of it by dismissing the critique and throwing a little shade Hamilton’s way in return. I think Hamilton still feels the accident was at worst 50-50 and Verstappen and his team went too far last year in their hate PR campaign. Meanwhile Verstappen won the title anyway so the long term effect of the accident was nothing for him.
Continuing the debate about that accident and certainly when taking into account the new guidance this year on overtaking would likely mean Hamilton would not have been penalised anyway for the same incident this year, can only muddy Verstappen’s 2021 further rather than benefit him now. Verstappen needs the talk about 2021 to stop while Hamilton will want to keep up talk of how he was cheated and maligned at various times last year by RB and Verstappen.
Both quotes were specifically done for each drivers PR purposes. Hamilton’s to cast doubt on the accident last year being his fault, Verstappen to deflect from the actual critique and instead focus on their personal rivalry. Both are fine and I have no issues with either.
baasbas
8th July 2022, 10:19
Re: COTD
I disagree with that. Crumple zones need to crumple. Those dissipate energy. A roll hoop must not collapse at any time though. It should be able to take this impact. It’s not like they dropped the car from a crane from 20 meters on its hoop, it ‘just flipped’. It makes me think the hoop specifications are still the same while they kept adding weight to the car through the years….
mia
8th July 2022, 14:28
At 24, Max consistently displays he has more brawn than brain. The use of brawn was evident again when he just shoved Mick S as that is what he knows. At 24, his 1st championship is always in question, will always be in history book as controversial, and seen as a diluted achievement as even his boss acknowledged was a result of error (and perhaps assistance by Masi). Max has a lot of reasons to be bitter. With natural “talent” to use brawn vs brain, no wonder he sprouted nonsense that certain cultural context in his opinion justifies race-based insults to others. After all, who can be better mentors to Max than a father like Jos and a father-in-law like Nelson Piquet. On top of all that, he was booed. Horner was bothered too. Shouldn’t Max be adored? What a lot of mental issues to have at 24!