“It was parked in the pit lane close to Hamilton’s Mercedes”– Fernando Alonso played pivotal role in Max Verstappen-Lewis Hamilton investigation

Tanish Chachra | 14/11/2021
"It was parked in the pit lane close to Hamilton’s Mercedes"– Fernando Alonso played pivotal role in Max Verstappen-Lewis Hamilton investigation

Fernando Alonso’s onboard camera gave a better view of the incident after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying on Friday.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying on Friday ended with many controversies. With Mercedes found guilty of the DRS infringement, and then they passed that allegation of Max Verstappen.

The allegation was made by Mercedes over the Red bull driver when a video appeared suggesting he touched Lewis Hamilton car’s rear wings.

So, Mercedes claimed that Verstappen had damaged the rear wings. This allegation led to the FIA summoning Verstappen after the event and later on Saturday.

However, the mentioned video above didn’t have a clear view for the stewards to judge. But a report by Motorsport reveals that Fernando Alonso played a crucial part in it.

Footage obtained from his onboard camera gave a clearer picture and revealed Verstappen touching the rear wings of Hamilton’s car. This made the FIA initiate the investigation on the Dutchman.

‘It was parked in the pit lane close to Hamilton’s Mercedes, and showed that Verstappen, according to those involved, actually barely brushed the car under investigation,’ said the report.

Also read: Christian Horner says Red Bull cars are touched infinitely yet they don’t whine; Max Verstappen was just inquisitive

Lewis Hamilton roars back

The verdict of the FIA, in the end, fined Verstappen for  €50,000. Whereas Hamilton was disqualified from Friday’s qualifying. Therefore he had to start the sprint race qualifying from the back of the grid.

But it didn’t matter to him. In the course of 24 laps, Hamilton climbed 15 positions, overtaking every opposition coming in his way. It was an aggressive approach that intimidated the midfield.

In the last lap, his overtake on Lando Norris was breathtaking and mesmerizing at the same time. Though, he would have to start from P10 on Sunday because of the five-place grid penalty due to the engine change.

But if Hamilton can perform like this on Saturday, then what does Sunday holds for Verstappen? Plus, Interlagos is probably Hamilton’s overtaking haven.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton agrees that the Red Bull driver’s involvement in the Mercedes’ rear wing issues is very unlikely

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Alpine Fernando Alonso Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Mercedes Red Bull

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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