“I don’t think the penalty was correct”– Max Verstappen wanted stewards to be harsher on Lewis Hamilton for causing a 51G crash.
During the British Grand Prix, the stewards found Lewis Hamilton predominantly responsible for causing a 51G crash on Max Verstappen that compelled the Dutchman to go to a hospital for a preventive check.
Almost two weeks later, Verstappen has started talking about the crash and claims that he doesn’t think the penalty imposed on the seven-time world champion was enough.
“I don’t think the penalty was correct,” he said. “Because basically, you take out your main rival and, especially with the speed we have in our cars, we are miles ahead of, let’s say, the third-best team.
“We are easily 40-50 seconds ahead in normal conditions, so a 10 second penalty doesn’t do anything. So, definitely, that penalty should have been more severe.”
Asked how he felt a driver should be penalised in such a scenario, Verstappen replied, “Common sense, I think that’s it.”
Lewis Hamilton refuses to yield.
Meanwhile, Hamilton accepted the penalty imposed on him, but he doesn’t feel he was wrong over there and would make the same moves if found in a similar situation.
“I don’t think I did anything wrong there,” he said. “So, like I said, we were racing hard and, of course, that corner is very fast but I don’t know how I have a percentage in that fault.”
“He goes for that move, he commits to the move, of course, I’m going to make it difficult for him to make the move but, as soon as he commits to the inside and is alongside me, I open up the corner and then I’m going to leave him space.”
“So I don’t think.. what they expect me to do.. just completely run off the track then and then just keep my position? Probably then, they will tell you that you can’t run off the track so, from my side, I’m a bit surprised that there is a little bit of a percentage in there.”
