Nico Hulkenberg reveals why Lewis Hamilton probably didn’t scoop past max Verstappen but opines that the Briton should have gone ahead.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had several heated moments in Saudi Arabia. One of the biggest talking moments in the race was when Verstappen was instructed to withdraw his leader position to Hamilton for overtaking him illegally earlier.
But instead of going ahead, Hamilton barged into Verstappen’s rear-tyre. Mercedes’s main argument was that the reigning champion had yet to receive instruction.
Reacting to the whole incident, former F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg revealed that Hamilton sensed a trap by Verstappen, be it if he realized he was withdrawing his lead. However, he opines that Hamilton should have gone on with the lead ignoring the DRS threat.
“So many explosive moments. Fascinating, this was really a film,” Hulkenberg to Severus TV. “That’s Max Verstappen. He fights like a lion for the championship and he gives everything he has.”
“He knew he wouldn’t be able to overtake Lewis if he let him pass. That’s why he prepared and planned it so cleverly. Lewis smelled a trap. That’s why he didn’t want to overtake Max at the point he was following.”
“That was chess at the highest level. Those two race at 300 km/h and still think things like this.”
Nico Hulkenberg claims it’s easy to explain the bizarre moment
The former Renault superstar thinks it’s simple to know why the two drivers behaved like that. The answer ultimately lies in the DRS advantage.
“I’m sure it had to do with DRS. The DRS measuring point is before the last bend. Max wanted Lewis to overtake before that point so he could get DRS and overtake Lewis right away.”
“These are strategic games. Lewis knew that, of course, and that’s why he stayed behind, but then it got a little too close. Both played it too extreme. However, from Lewis’s perspective, I don’t quite understand why he didn’t overtake immediately and continue his race.”
