Hungarian GP: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton escape stewards' penalty for dramatic F1 collision
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were not penalized for their intense crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Race officials determined that neither driver was mainly at fault for the incident.
This means that the results from Sunday's race have not been altered, with Hamilton coming in third place and Verstappen finishing in fifth place behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
Verstappen departs the Hungaroring with a smaller lead in the championship over Lando Norris. He showed his frustration during the race by complaining on the team radio about his car and the team's tactics. Norris finished second in a strong performance for McLaren, narrowing the gap to Verstappen to 76 points as they head to the Belgian Grand Prix.
We recommend using the Chrome browser to easily access the video player.
The Incident: What Happened And Stewards' Ruling
Hamilton and Verstappen were fighting for the third spot in the race when they collided at Turn One on the 63rd lap.
Trying to overtake his old rival for the last spot on the podium with seven laps left, Verstappen had newer tires than the Mercedes. He went for the inside line on the corner but ended up locking up his front tires.
The two cars collided, causing the Red Bull to briefly fly through the air and off the track.
The drivers were able to keep racing, but Verstappen lost a position to Leclerc from Ferrari, who had been right behind the battling duo.
To watch the video player more easily, we recommend using the Chrome browser.
Verstappen accused Hamilton over the radio of causing the incident and later argued that Hamilton had shifted position while braking as he was trying to pass, saying that Hamilton "kept turning right".
Hamilton, however, referred to it as "an incident that happened during the race".
Officials quickly began looking into the incident and analyzed it following the race.
Monterosa provides this content, which might use cookies and other technologies. In order to see this content, we require your permission to use cookies. You can adjust your preferences by clicking on the buttons below to either enable Monterosa cookies or allow them for this session only. You can alter your settings at any time through the Privacy Options. We apologize, but we are unable to confirm if you have agreed to Monterosa cookies. To view this content, you can click on the button below to allow Monterosa cookies for this session.
After looking at various camera perspectives, data from the cars, and talking to both drivers, they decided that no additional punishment was necessary because neither driver was mainly to blame for the incident.
The stewards think this is not a usual situation of 'changing direction while braking,' but they believe that Car 44's driver (Hamilton) could have taken more action to prevent the crash.
As a result, we concluded that no driver was mostly at fault and chose not to pursue any additional actions.
The complete decision of the stewards
As they neared the first corner, Hamilton in Car 44 and Verstappen in Car 1 passed Albon in Car 23.
Car 44 moved back onto the track before the designated braking area and began to make the turn into the first corner.
Car 1 went into the turn at a faster speed than before because of the DRS, and then braked at the usual spot as before.
The driver in Car 1 claimed that Car 44 was suddenly turning while slowing down.
The person driving Car 44 said that he was just sticking to his usual path while racing (which was proven by looking at the video and data from previous laps).
It was obvious that Car 1's front wheels became locked as it approached turn one before any collision took place. However, it did not follow the usual line for a typical passing move.
The driver of Car 44 said it was just a normal racing incident, but the driver of Car 1 believed it was a matter of changing direction while braking.
The officials do not view this as a common situation of 'changing direction while braking', but they believe that the driver of Car 44 could have taken additional steps to prevent the crash.
So, after careful consideration, we have concluded that no single driver should be held entirely responsible, and therefore we have chosen not to pursue any additional actions.
Verstappen And Hamilton's Crash Comments
Verstappen explained to Sky Sports F1 that he made a move that he believed was a fair one, but as he was already committed to making the move during braking, the other driver unexpectedly veered to the right.
"If I hadn't swerved while applying the brakes, I would have collided with him. Eventually, I ended up skidding because he continued to veer to the right."
"People talked a lot about what happened in Austria with the collision with Norris. They said it wasn't fair. But that's just the first move, after that you brake straight and keep your wheel steady."
We recommend using the Chrome browser to have a better viewing experience with our video player.
I realized that the problem didn't occur at the beginning of the race, but later on when entering the braking zone, he continued to turn right. This is not acceptable when someone is already on the inside line.
That's the reason I closed the door because otherwise we would have crashed anyway as he would have cut me off.
Hamilton explained to Sky Sports F1 that, in his opinion, it was simply a normal occurrence during a race.
In the end, he was faster and he made the move. I tried to defend myself, but I didn't leave enough room on the inside, causing him to lock up and unable to turn.
We recommend using the Chrome browser to access the video player more easily.
"He approached from a different angle and hit my wheels. If he had been in control, he would have passed by without incident."
Don't miss out on the excitement of the Belgian Grand Prix, the last race before F1's summer hiatus. Catch all the action at Spa-Francorchamps live on Sky Sports F1 from July 26-28. Stream all the F1 races and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No long-term commitment, you can cancel whenever you want.
