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Hungarian GP: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton escape stewards’ penalty for dramatic F1 collision

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Hungarian GP: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton escape stewards’ penalty for dramatic F1 collision

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both escaped punishment for their dramatic collision in the Hungarian Grand Prix, with race stewards ruling “no driver was predominantly to blame” for the clash.

It means Sunday’s race result remains unchanged, with Hamilton finishing third and Verstappen in fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen leaves the Hungaroring – after a race in which he repeatedly expressed his frustration over the Red Bull team radio with both his car and the team’s strategy – with a reduced championship lead over Lando Norris, who finished second in an emphatic McLaren one-two, of 76 points heading to the Belgian Grand Prix.

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Verstappen vented his frustrations over Red Bull’s team radio in Hungary

What happened in the incident and what did the stewards rule?

Hamilton and Verstappen were battling over third place when they made contact into Turn One on lap 63.

Attempting to re-pass his long-time rival for the final podium place with seven laps to go on fresher tyres compared with the Mercedes, Verstappen went for the inside line into the corner but locked up his front tyres.

The two cars made wheel-on-wheel contact which briefly sent the Red Bull airborne and off the track.

The drivers were still able to continue in the race, although Verstappen dropped a place to Ferrari’s Leclerc who had been following the duelling pair closely.

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Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to take a closer look at who was at fault when Hamilton and Verstappen collided

Verstappen blamed Hamilton for the incident over team radio and then afterwards claimed the Briton had moved under braking once he had started his attempted overtake “by keeping turning right”.

Hamilton, though, described it as “a racing incident”.

Stewards swiftly placed the incident under investigation and conducted their analysis of it after the race.

After reviewing an array of camera angles, telemetry data and speaking to both drivers, they ultimately concluded no further action was warranted as neither driver had been “predominantly at fault” for what happened.

“The Stewards do not consider this to be a typical case of ‘changing direction under braking’ although it is our determination that the driver of Car 44 (Hamilton) could have done more to avoid the collision,” read the stewards’ verdict.

“Accordingly we determine that no driver was predominantly to blame and decide to take no further action.”

The stewards’ verdict in full

“On the approach to turn 1, both Car 44 [Hamilton] and Car 1 [Verstappen] overtook Car 23 [Albon].

“Car 44 returned
to the racing line before the braking zone and commenced to turn into turn one.

“Car 1 approached the turn faster than on previous laps (due to DRS) and braked at the same point as previously.

“The driver of Car 1 argued that Car 44 was changing direction under braking.

“The driver of Car 44 stated that he was simply following his normal racing line (which was confirmed by examination of video and telemetry evidence of previous laps).

“It was clear that Car 1 locked up both front wheels on the approach to turn one prior to any impact occurring but missing the normal cornering line for a typical overtaking manoeuvre.

“The driver of Car 44 stated that this was a racing incident, whilst the driver of Car 1 argued that this was a case of changing direction under braking.

“The Stewards do not consider this to be a typical case of ‘changing direction under
braking’ although it is our determination that the driver of Car 44 could have done
more to avoid the collision.

“Accordingly we determine that no driver was predominantly to blame and decide to take no further action.”

What did Verstappen and Hamilton say about the crash?

Verstappen told Sky Sports F1: “I went for a move that was fully on, but then in the middle of the braking zone when I was already committed to the move, he suddenly keeps warping right.

“If I wouldn’t have turned while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. At one point naturally I locked up because he kept turning to the right.

“People always made a lot of what happened in Austria [in his collision with Norris]. ‘It was not correct blah blah blah’. But that’s on the initial move and then you just brake straight, you hold your wheel quite straight.

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Verstappen reflected on a frustrating day for himself and Red Bull

“I felt now it was not on the initial move, but afterwards during the braking zone he keeps turning right. You cannot do that when someone is committed to the inside.

“That’s why I locked up because otherwise we would have collided anyway because he would have just turned in on me.”

Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “For me it was a racing incident.

“Ultimately he was much quicker and he sent it. I moved a little to defend, but I left enough space on the inside and he locked up and obviously then couldn’t turn.

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Hamilton believes his collision with Verstappen was a ‘racing incident’

“He came at a different trajectory and clipped my wheels. If he was under control he would have gone by.”

The action continues next weekend with the final race before F1’s summer break, the Belgian Grand Prix. You can watch every session from Spa-Francorchamps live on Sky Sports F1 from July 26-28. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

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