FIA clears Max Verstappen, points to Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton meet again on track. At stake is third place on the podium. Red Bull is attacking with a strategy that would a priori be more advantageous if it weren’t for the location, one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar to overtake.
New Verstappen vs Hamilton duel
It was the second time in the race that the Dutchman met his tough rival on the track. Even with DRS, the straight was not enough to overtake him, and in the third corner he was always on the outside, where it is more than foolhardy to let the car go. In the other corners, don’t even think about it.
And after a few runs, with the corner in sight, Max sees his opportunity and sprints inside as Lewis closes in to start tracking the corner. The Dutchman locks up his wheels, causing the Red Bull to stop turning and go straight. Verstappen’s rear wheel lifts in front of Hamilton, bounces into the air and leaves a shocking image that begs the question of how he managed to finish the race.
The contact sent Verstappen off the track and lost a position to Charles Leclerc that he never regained. Although the alleged offender was the only one to suffer from the action, the FIA decided to investigate the contact, which Hamilton himself labelled as an incident after the race, although Verstappen blamed him for moving under braking.
Both drivers were called in after the race to explain their view of the collision. After analysing the evidence, the stewards believe that Lewis Hamilton did not make a braking move but rather the normal line of Turn 1 and that the impact occurred after the tyres locked up during an overtaking manoeuvre.
With this data, the FIA determines that there is no driver with predominant fault, so they decide to take no action, although they do leave in writing something that is not usually common, such as that Lewis Hamilton could have done more to avoid the collision.
“Do more to avoid an accident”
Indeed, unlike what Verstappen himself did to Norris in Austria, where he opened the wheel to avoid a hypothetical impact, Lewis Hamilton made the decision to continue tracing the corner, giving the car the space it needed, but not one centimeter more, which might require a deeper analysis of the reasons for such behavior, but which is still legal.
But in any case, the FIA’s phrase is striking because it seems to somehow place the onus on drivers to avoid impacts, which makes no sense when it is they who are forcing them to perform evasive manoeuvres.
Best F1 Deals
Official Aston Martin F1 2024 Polo Shirt
Now 10% discount
Official Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Formula One Team Cap
Now 17% discount
Le Mans Book House: The Century of 24 Hours – Charlie Barazal
Last Turn – F1 Thriller