Lewis Hamilton has told FIA stewards that Max Verstappen meddling with his car did not cause any changes to it’s rear wing.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the title rivals after Friday’s qualifying session. Hamilton took pole for Saturday’s sprint race quite comfortably. However, there seemed to be some technical infringements with his DRS which led to an investigation against the Briton.
On top of that, Verstappen was seen checking Lewis’ car’s rear wing very closely after the session. The 24 year old went pretty close to the car and allegedly touched it. This was also reported to the stewards because tampering with someone else’s car in Parc Ferme is not allowed.
Also read: Red Bull brings up debate over Mercedes’ “flexible wing” advantage at the Sao Paolo Grand Prix
The governing body of F1 took almost 24 hours to make a decision and announce their verdict. Verstappen was fined €50,000 for touching the Mercedes. Hamilton on the other hand was dealt with a major blow. He was disqualified from Friday’s qualifying in Sao Paolo due to “DRS Infringements”.
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton is disqualified from Friday’s qualifying session for a technical infringement related to the DRS system#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/zjgQ4WlArN
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 13, 2021
This means that Lewis will start the Sprint race from the back of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton told the stewards that Max’s involvement in their problems is unlikely
The videos show that Verstappen put one of his hands close to the Mercedes rear wing. It is not even clear if the Dutchman actually touched the car or not. That is why people felt that accusing him for ‘changes made to the rear wing’ was ridiculous.
For those asking if Max could have manipulated the wing, let’s all be clear that the 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….
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) November 13, 2021
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also claimed that Mercedes were blaming his driver for the incident. Hamilton on the other hand does not agree with it. A statement from the FIA clearly stated that Hamilton denies any involvement from his title rival.
“The Competitor of car 44 also agreed that it was unlikely that Verstappen’s actions caused the fault, however they felt that it was an open question.” the statement read.
What this means for the rest of the weekend for Lewis Hamilton?
Max Verstappen has not been given any penalty for his actions. FIA have however warned all drivers that actions like this would result in different kinds of penalties in the future. Verstappen can line up at the front of the grid after paying his fine.
Here is how we will now line up for #F1Sprint 👇#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/KYXNJtOiXT
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 13, 2021
Hamilton on the other hand, faces a steeper challenge. The Mercedes driver will start the Sprint race from P20. He will have 24 laps to make up as many places as he can. That effort may also go in vain since he will take a 5-place grid penalty in the main race for changing his Internal Combustion Engine.
Lewis Hamilton will have to be at his brilliant best to turn this nightmare of a weekend into something positive.
