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Lewis Hamilton revealed that he wasn’t aware Max Verstappen was slowing down to let him pass during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Briton reasoned that he collided with the Dutchman because the position was being given back to him before the DRS zone.
Speaking at the FIA drivers' press conference, Hamilton said:
“It really wasn’t clear. So, there are two scenarios. There’s one that it wasn’t clear, two I didn’t get the information, and then it became apparent that he was trying to let me past, which was what he, I guess, had been asked to do but before the DRS zone. So then it would have meant he would just DRS back past me coming through the last corner, followed me and then DRS-ed me into turn one.”
According to the seven-time world champion, there was a miscommunication between him and his team where he wasn’t informed he would get the place back. Hamilton explained he collided with Verstappen due to heavy braking at the wrong part of the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton feels the moment of collision could have been dangerous
Lewis Hamilton clipped his front wing by making contact with the rear of Max Verstappen's car at Turn 1, when the Dutchman tried to swap positions.
FIA stewards investigated the incident and, upon further examination, penalized the Red Bull F1 driver.
Both drivers were lucky not to make severe contact at the corner with race-ending consequences, with Lewis Hamilton agreeing that the collision could have been dangerous.
Shedding further light on the incident, Lewis Hamilton said:
“So that was the tactic, but I think that really the worst part was the steep, heavy braking that then happened at one point, which then I had to really… that’s where we collided. That was the dangerous part.”
Max Verstappen was penalized for causing the collision with Lewis Hamilton, in a battle in which both drivers were on edge. The Dutchman was handed a 10 second time penalty after the race, however, which did not affect the result where he finished second.
As F1 travels to the final race of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi, both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are on equal footing when it comes to the drivers' championship points. It remains to be seen how the race will unfold on Sunday, with the drivers' title still up for grabs.
