Helmut Marko revealed that Mercedes has made an unbelievable claim that Max Verstappen damaged Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing.
Lewis Hamilton came out strong during the qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. With the new ICE in his car, he took the pole position and a five-place grid penalty.
However, after qualifying Lewis Hamilton faced an investigation by the stewards over a possible DRS violation. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was also summoned to the stewards.
A fan video showed him touching the rear wing on Hamilton’s car after qualifying. The Dutchman’s action breach the FIA International Sporting Code relating to parc ferme conditions.
Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko said that Mercedes has made an unbelievable claim and turned the tables on Verstappen and Red Bull. “The unbelievable thing is that Mercedes is now claiming that Max damaged Hamilton’s rear wing with his fingers,” he said.
Moreover, though both the cases seem to be separate, there has been speculation that Mercedes would use Verstappen’s actions as evidence in their hearing regarding Hamilton’s rear wing.
Also Read: What are the possible penalty options for Max Verstappen?
Could Max really have caused damage?
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok downgraded the claims made by the Brackley-based team regarding Verstappen’s role in damaging Hamilton’s rear wing.
He wrote on Twitter, ” for those asking if Max could have manipulated the wing, let’s all be clear that the rear wings are designed to sustain hundreds of kilos of load without breaking. “Andre the giant could sit on it! As fit and strong as Max is, I doubt he managed to bend the wing…”, he further added.
Furthermore, the stewards have decided to disqualify the seven-time world champion from friday’s qualifying session. Following which he will start the sprint qualifying race from the back of the grid. He also has that five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race in Sao Paulo.
