Max Verstappen went out of his way and allegedly touched Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing at the Brazil GP leading to a major controversy.
After winning his first world championship, Max Verstappen along with his teammate Sergio Perez shared their Christmas wishes on their channels.
Sergio Perez gifted Max an item that he could use at the track and jokingly said, “this item is going to save you money in the long run. I know you like to inspect your rivals but it can be expensive if you touch their car. So please use this gift to spy in the future. It might save you some cash.”
Max unwrapped the gift only to find a mini telescope in it. He equipped the telescope and pointed it to see Mercedes’ flexible rear wing.
Max Verstappen did a costly spying
Earlier this season, during the Brazil GP, after Lewis Hamilton won the qualifying Max Verstappen was suspicious about Mercedes. After finishing the qualifying he went on to inspect Hamilton’s car in Parc Ferme which is not allowed.
The governing body of F1 took almost 24 hours to make a decision and announce their verdict. Verstappen was fined €50,000 for touching the Mercedes. Hamilton on the other hand was dealt a major blow. He was disqualified from qualifying in Sao Paolo due to “DRS Infringements”.
This meant that Lewis had to start the race from the back of the grid. However, people found the accusations against Verstappen touching the car and damaging it ridiculous.
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok said, “for those asking if Max could have manipulated the wing, let’s all be clear that the wings are designed to sustain hundreds of kilos of load without breaking.”
Furthermore, Hamilton also denied Verstappen’s involvement. A statement from the FIA said, “The Competitor of car 44 also agreed that it was unlikely that Verstappen’s actions caused the fault, however they felt that it was an open question.”
