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“It would have been decided a lot earlier” – Red Bull reckon Max Verstappen’s 51G crash at Silverstone delayed his anointment as new world champ

Subham Jindal
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"Sitting in the hospital the whole evening" - Max Verstappen speaks out on the British GP incident with Lewis Hamilton making him a stronger driver

“It would have been decided a lot earlier” – Christian Horner and Max Verstappen both feel the latter’s 51G crash at Silverstone delayed dislodging of Lewis Hamilton’s world champion status.

Max Verstappen won the world title in the dying moments of the season, overtaking Lewis Hamilton for the Abu Dhabi win, and his maiden world championship.

It was arguably the hottest title rivalry in the sport’s seven-decade existence, with both drivers tied on points heading into the UAE.

But Verstappen’s Red Bull boss believes the title could have been decided much earlier, had Hamilton not swung Verstappen into the barriers during the start of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

“There have been some big moments.

“It was important to get those victories, the run of results [France and double-header in Austria]. Then there were moments like Azerbaijan we had to come back from.

“It was important to come back strong, and Max did that, and then Silverstone was a key moment, and again how he came back from that.”

Max Verstappen agress with his boss…

The impact was mind-numbing – 51G – enough to rush the Dutchman to the hospital for an immediate diagnosis. Verstappen agrees with Horner, especially considering the tightness of the battle, where even the fastest lap bonus points were so crucial.

“Same as Christian. Headbutting the tyre wall in Silverstone wasn’t that great. These were key moments otherwise it would have been decided a lot earlier.

“Especially towards the end of the season, getting a few wins where we didn’t expect it, or a pole position, or even the fastest lap for an extra point.

“These things actually do matter nowadays when you have a championship fight as we had.”

Read More “If I had been in his car, the season would have been decided long ago”– Max Verstappen claims he needed a Mercedes W12 to wrap up the season much earlier

About the author

Subham Jindal

Subham Jindal

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A Red - be it Manchester United or Ferrari. Hails from the hills of Kalimpong, Darjeeling. Aspiring to become a respected Sports Management professional.

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