Radio and dwell textual content commentary of the Hungarian Grand Prix will probably be obtainable on the BBC Sport web site
Two weeks after the occasion, the fall-out from the collision between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the British Grand Prix dominates this weekend’s race in Hungary.
The 2 males begin the grand prix two locations aside, Hamilton’s Mercedes on pole place and Verstappen’s Crimson Bull third, with the Dutchman eight factors forward within the championship, and amid a bitter ambiance of accusation and counter-accusation between their two groups.
On Thursday, Crimson Bull failed of their try to power a stiffening of Hamilton’s punishment for the incident, however their submission to the stewards contained quite a few inflammatory claims.
Amongst them, Crimson Bull wrote that Hamilton “knowingly didn’t keep away from contact with Max’s automobile” within the incident.
Crimson Bull deny that that is an accusation that Hamilton crashed into Verstappen on goal, and referred BBC Sport again to crew principal Christian Horner’s declare within the information convention on Friday that “we did not at any level say in our submission that it was a deliberate motion”.
One other a part of Crimson Bull’s submission offers with Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff’s go to to the stewards at Silverstone whereas they had been deliberating over learn how to cope with the incident.
The crew elevate the query of whether or not “the stewards had been persuaded to hunt his recommendation in making the choice on account of the standing his crew and his driver purport to carry with the FIA”.
The stewards – who had been reconvened to listen to Crimson Bull’s ‘proper of evaluate’ declare – took a dim view of that.
This obvious thinly veiled accusation that they could have been influenced by Mercedes is what they had been referring to of their rejection doc on Thursday after they mentioned they “famous with some concern sure allegations made within the competitor’s letter”.
Wolff has mentioned he feels that Crimson Bull’s claims concerning the conduct of each Hamilton and the crew had been “beneath the belt”.
That’s the reason Mercedes issued a press release on Thursday night time, after the stewards had rejected Crimson Bull’s evaluate request, through which they referred to “a concerted try by the senior administration of Crimson Bull Racing to tarnish the great identify and sporting integrity of Lewis Hamilton.”
“We wished to deliver somewhat little bit of respect again to the dialogue,” Wolff mentioned. “We perceive that feelings can run excessive and it’s at all times a matter of perspective and notion, however we felt that that line was overstepped.”
Horner described Mercedes’ assertion as “somewhat antagonistic”, and insisted: “At no level did we query the objectivity of the FIA.”
He mentioned that Crimson Bull raised the query that “the [stewards’] objectivity could possibly be prejudiced when you’re influenced by a competitor entering into with information previous to a call being made”.
However he mentioned: “We had been assured it had no affect on the decision-making”. And he mentioned that the listening to, along with a clarification from the FIA final week making it clear groups risked penalties in the event that they approached the stewards with out an invitation or summons, had “handled any of our issues”.
“We really feel we had a good listening to,” Horner mentioned. “The stewards felt that it wasn’t new proof below the confines of the rules and so it wasn’t opened into one other listening to. So, we settle for that.
“This competitors is all about marginal features and leaving no stone unturned. When you’ve an accident of that velocity and influence, then in fact you are going to make a full investigation. However so far as we’re involved, the chapter is now closed.”
Mercedes’ and Crimson Bull’s rivals, in the meantime, are standing again and watching all this with a level of dismay.
A quantity have instructed BBC Sport that they discovered Crimson Bull’s makes an attempt to collect “proof” towards Hamilton considerably questionable.
And a few have mocked in non-public Crimson Bull’s choice to ask reserve driver Alex Albon to drive Hamilton’s line in a two-year-old automobile utilizing demo tyres at a check at Silverstone a few days after the race, and use that as an argument of their submission that Hamilton would by no means have made the nook on the pace he was doing and the trajectory he was on.
Equally, whereas Horner has accused Hamilton of a “red-mist second” and permitting the stress of the event to cloud his judgement, questions have been raised about Verstappen’s driving, too.
Past the query of whether or not he ought to have allowed Hamilton extra room given the Mercedes had a considerable a part of his automobile alongside the Crimson Bull on the entry to the nook, there may be the matter of Verstappen’s entry pace to Copse on the primary lap of the race.
This, in line with GPS information obtainable to all groups, was 1.5km/h quicker with Hamilton on his inside than it had been on his quickest qualifying lap the day earlier than. Copse is taken flat-out in qualifying – however actually not on the primary lap of the race with a full tank of 100kg of gas, even when a driver is on a super line, which Verstappen was not.
Requested about this, Horner mentioned: “I believe that may be bodily inconceivable” and “I am unable to consider [it] to be true primarily based on all of the evaluation now we have checked out previous to the listening to”. The information is the info, although.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen got here collectively on the British Grand Prix
Wanting ahead to the race
The place does all this go away Hamilton and Verstappen heading into Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix? How will they now cope with their on-track battles within the wake of an incident through which neither backed down, and the outcome was one among them within the wall and the opposite profitable the race and making enormous features within the championship because of this?
If both did one thing the stewards thought-about to be deliberate, versus the natural final result of powerful racing, it’s possible they might obtain a extreme punishment.
And neither can actually afford an incident through which just one retires, comparable to that at Silverstone.
For one factor, it might hand the opposite a serious benefit within the championship. But additionally, as Verstappen identified on Thursday, their automobiles are to date forward of the remaining that 10-second penalties are slightly meaningless as a result of they’re largely recoverable, as Hamilton proved at Silverstone when he fought again to win the race.
Off observe, a minimum of, neither is giving any floor.
Are the gloves off now, Verstappen was requested on Thursday?
“I did not know the gloves had been on,” he mentioned. “Who fights with gloves? No, nothing adjustments from my aspect.”
“I’d do it precisely the best way I did it final [time],” Hamilton mentioned. “When it comes to how I’ve reviewed it or analysed, from all my expertise. And my expertise through the years speaks for lots. I would not change it.”
On Saturday after qualifying, issues appeared to be in peril of boiling over.
Hundreds of Dutch followers within the grandstands booed Hamilton as he gave his post-qualifying interviews.
“I do not take it to coronary heart,” Hamilton mentioned. “I should be doing one thing proper.”
And when the official FIA information convention host tried to ask Verstappen how he was going to method the race if he and Hamilton discovered themselves aspect by aspect on the primary lap, Verstappen angrily interrupted him.
“Can we already cease about this?” he mentioned, earlier than swearing twice as he complained concerning the variety of questions he had fielded on it on Thursday.
“We’re racers and we are going to race laborious however honest,” he concluded.
The stress is mounting, on each of them.
