Max Verstappen blames Lewis Hamilton for Hungary crash: “You cannot do that when someone has committed to the inside”
Max Verstappen was left fuming as his Hungarian GP ended in a disaster. On a day when nothing seemed to go the Dutchman’s way, he suffered a late collision with Lewis Hamilton. This meant that the Red Bull driver could finish only P5, with Lewis Hamilton hanging on to claim a P3 finish.
Max Verstappen was chasing the seven-time world champion for a P3 finish. However, just as Dutchman went for a move, the two cars came together, as the Red Bull seemed to have been air-bone for a second or two. Both drivers have been summoned to the FIA for the crash.
Max Verstappen remained adamant that it was Lewis Hamilton’s fault that caused the crash, as he moved under the braking zone. The Dutchman stated that he had the inside line, and Lewis Hamilton should not have moved so abruptly.
“I went for a move that was on but in the middle of the braking zone, when I’m committed to the move, he just keeps moving right. If I hadn’t turned while braking straight I would have made contact with him. I lock up because he just keeps turning to the right,” said Max, as quoted by the Mirror.
“People made a lot about what happened in Austria, ‘It was not correct, blah blah blah’. But that was on the initial move and then you just brake straight, but now it’s not an initial move, during the braking zone he keeps turning right,” he added.
“You cannot do that when someone has committed to the inside. That’s why I locked up, otherwise we would have collided anyway because he turned in on me. We’ll see. I went for a move that was fully on and I don’t think I braked too late, but we came together.”
Lewis Hamilton says crash with Max Verstappen was a racing incident
On the contrary, Lewis Hamilton did not seem to be blaming either of the two drivers for the crash. He believes that it was a pure racing incident. The Briton stated that he moved a bit, however there was enough space on the inside for Max Verstappen to make a move.
“For me, it was a racing incident. Ultimately, he was much quicker and sent it. I moved a little bit to defend but I left enough space on the inside but then he locked up and couldn’t turn. So he came at a different trajectory and hit my wheel. If he was under control, he would have gone by,” said Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton claimed his second consecutive podium finish, as he won his first ever race in almost three years at the British GP a couple of weeks ago. The Briton was delighted by his team’s progress this season, as he claimed that the Silver Arrows were even struggling to finish in top 10 in the first couple of races.
“The year started out with us struggling to finish in the top 10. So for us to be moving forward and be in the mix really feels great. Ultimately, we don’t have the pace of the McLarens or the Red Bulls, but we’re there and progressing and we have to keep on improving. We do need to bring more and I hope at some stage we can have the sheer pace of the guys ahead. If we do, then George and I will be able to really stick it to them,” said Hamilton.
