Lewis Hamilton says he did not expect Max Verstappen to check on him after the two collided in Monza but admitted that he would have done so.
The two championship rivals collided in the 26th lap in Monza after a slow pit stop by Red Bull brought the two cars close to each other in the first chicane.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull ended up landing on top of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and the two drivers had their races end early as a result. Verstappen was seen walking away from the crash without checking on Hamilton in the aftermath of this incident.
This led to a lot of fans and pundits questioning Verstappen’s professionalism. Lewis Hamilton on the other hand said he does not have any strong feelings about it and did not expect the Red Bull driver to check on him anyway.
“I don’t really feel a particular way about it”, he told Channel 4. “We had that crash and of course I felt that physically.” “Have you watched Cool Runnings? At the end they crash the bobsleigh, they get out, say they have to finish the race. That’s my mentality.”
“The car is on top of me, how can I get back in the race? And so I wasn’t expecting him to check on me.” “I would have for sure checked on whoever it was that I landed on, but I’m older.”
It’s days like today, I am reminded of how lucky I am. It takes a millisecond to go from racing to a very scary situation. Today someone must have been looking down, watching over me! #TeamLH: I’m so thankful for each and everyone of you, you are truly the best. Still we rise! pic.twitter.com/H2sGtXPKrr
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) September 12, 2021
The respect is always there, but I will never back down, says Lewis Hamilton
“I try to approach him respectfully, but also I’m a fighter. I’m not backing down in the racing scenario,” said Hamilton. “I’m trying to be always sensible.”
“At the end of the day I’ve got 2000 people relying on me to be sensible, to bring the car home in one piece and it’s not about me. It’s about all of us winning the championship.”
In the post-race interview following the race in Monza, Verstappen stated that it’s better to walk away from the scene when something like this happens. “In the heat of the moment it’s better to walk away so everyone calms down,” Verstappen said.
The incident in Monza was not the first between Hamilton and Verstappen this season. With six races to go in 2021, it’s safe to assume it won’t be the last.
