In the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen of Red Bull experiences a landing on the ground following a collision with Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen wasn’t given a penalty for his clumsy overtake attempt on Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1, and the stewards have explained why.
In the final moments of the race at the Hungaroring, Verstappen executed a daring overtaking maneuver on Lewis Hamilton, leading to a collision between their vehicles. Verstappen’s left-rear tire crossed over Hamilton’s right front tire, causing the Red Bull car to become airborne.
FIA stewards explain reasoning for no Max Verstappen penalty
Astonishingly, despite the extent of the clash and the subsequent landing for the Red Bull, both drivers were able to resume the race without much by way of repercussion – Hamilton finished the race in the same third place he’d been in when Verstappen attacked, while the Dutch driver lost just one position as Charles Leclerc got back past him in the turmoil.
Nevertheless, the stewards were enthusiastic to examine the incident, resulting in Verstappen being investigated for the second time in three races due to a collision with another vehicle. This placed his fifth-place finish at risk, especially considering the 10-second penalty he received in Austria for a similar clash with Lando Norris.
However, a couple of hours following the race, the stewards made their decision known, absolving Verstappen of any punishment for the incident. Surprisingly, the stewards stated that it was Lewis Hamilton who could have taken additional measures to prevent the collision…
“Afterward, the stewards stated that they had listened to statements from Max Verstappen, the driver of Car 1, Lewis Hamilton, the driver of Car 44, as well as team representatives. They also examined various pieces of evidence including positioning/marshaling system data, video footage, timing records, telemetry data, and in-car video footage.”
Both Hamilton and Verstappen successfully passed Car 23 (Alex Albon) on their way to Turn 1. They then swiftly moved back to the racing line before the braking zone and began turning into Turn 1.
He/she reached the turn at a faster speed than before (thanks to DRS) but still applied the brakes at the same spot as before. He/she claimed that the change in direction occurred while braking.
He claimed to be adhering to his usual racing line, a statement supported by the analysis of video and telemetry data from previous laps.
Before any impact occurred, it was evident that the driver locked up both front wheels while approaching Turn 1. However, they deviated from the usual line for a standard overtaking maneuver.
One person claimed that this was simply a racing incident, while another argued that it was a situation of altering direction while braking.
The Stewards do not view this as a common scenario of ‘changing direction under braking’, but we believe that [subject] could have taken additional measures to prevent the collision.
As a result, we conclude that no driver can be primarily held responsible and therefore choose not to proceed with any additional measures.
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What did Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have to say about the incident?
Verstappen, speaking to the media after the race, was not in a good mood and firmly believed that he was not at fault for the incident.
Verstappen expressed, “In Austria, I faced numerous criticisms and accusations of moving under braking, but it’s all just a lot of nonsense.”
I carefully aligned my car at the start and maintained a steady course thereafter.
However, during braking today, he continued to steer towards the right. As a result, I also ended up locking up because I was attempting to make a move, but the car on the outside continued to approach me.
If not for that, we would have already crashed earlier. I had no choice but to attempt to bring the car to a halt, which is why I had to lock up.
During the post-race press conference, Hamilton extended an olive branch to Verstappen, expressing his belief that the incident was merely a result of racing.
“I got to the braking zone, and then Max appeared, to overtake the car behind me, so I moved over to defend,” he said.
“I left enough room on the inside, but Max locked up, and he was going a different trajectory to me. I was going towards, around the corner, and he came shooting across.
“It felt like a racing incident. And it’s easy to make mistakes like that. And so I don’t feel there should be any hostility. But of course, from his side, there always will be.”
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