“Not wearing a seatbelt is cheaper than touching another car”: Max Verstappen takes a dig at Lewis Hamilton over the latter’s fine for loosening his seatbelt at the Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen jokingly suggested that he would consider loosening his seatbelt over touching another car as it leads to a cheaper fine. 

At the Brazilian Grand Prix 2 weeks ago, Verstappen was seen touching the rear of Lewis Hamilton’s car after the qualifying session. This was a breach of the Parc Ferme regulations and the Dutchman had to pay a €50,000 fine for the same.

Later that weekend, Hamilton was summoned to the stewards for un-fastening his seatbelt during his race win celebrations. The Briton was fined €5,000 for the same with a further €20,000 to be paid until 2022.

Overall, the Red Bull driver had to pay the bigger fine for something he didn’t consider to be very serious. Therefore, in a recent interview with DAZN, Verstappen jokingly said that he would consider unfastening his seatbelt during future races.

“I’m not allowed to touch a rear wing anymore. That’s for sure. If you do, you have to pay a big fine. But apparently it’s cheaper to drive without the belts. So I’ll think about it.” said the 24 year old.

Also read: Former F1 World Champion analyzes body movements of Lewis Hamilton to indicate that he’s still wary of Max Verstappen’s comeback

8 points separate Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton with 2 races to go

The 2021 F1 Championship has been a two way battle between Hamilton and Verstappen.

There are only two races left this year. Next week, F1 makes it’s debut in Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit which will be followed by the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen has a chance to win the Championship in Saudi Arabia itself. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton will be looking to carry forward the momentum he gained after two successive wins in Brazil and Qatar.

Mercedes also revealed that they will be using their ‘new and powerful’ engine in Jeddah. That is something which the Red Bull team should be wary about.

The track in Jeddah is being labelled as the fastest street circuit in the world. With Mercedes’ recent pace advantage, it seems to be a track that will suit the Silver Arrows.

Red Bull on the other hand think that their driver is well within a shout to win the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP.

Also read: Former F1 champion declares its advantage Lewis Hamilton for championship ahead of last two races of season