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Lewis Hamilton's death-defying crash with Max Verstappen could have ended a lot differently had it not been for a Halo on top of the Briton's head. It wasn't divine intervention though, but a calculated move towards safety by F1 that made it possible.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has acknowledged this in the recently released fourth season of Netflix's Drive To Survive. During the ninth episode of the hit docu-series, Wolff can be seen inspecting Hamilton's damaged chassis in the Silver Arrows HQ.
While discussing how this could change the thinking of the anti-Halo crowd, Wolff replied by saying:
“That was me, you know, four years ago. I was fighting the Halo. Thank God I didn’t win that fight. Hopefully, it reminded everybody that this is one of the most dangerous sports that exists. And in a hard fight, winning in the right way is as important as winning.”
A video of the same crash confirmed Max Verstappen's rear right tire hit Lewis Hamilton on the head when the Red Bull hit the sausage kerb and mounted the Mercedes out of the exit into Turn 2. Watch:
It should be noted that while the show attempts to give a sizeable peek into the way F1 operates, the makers have been known to take certain creative liberties from time to time.
Lewis Hamilton hoping to guide George Russell at Mercedes in 2022
Lewis Hamilton intends to guide his new teammate George Russell at Mercedes in the upcoming 2022 F1 season.
During the launch event of the Mercedes W13, the 37-year-old compared Rusell to himself when he was a rookie in the sport. Hamilton said:
“He fits in and fits the position like a glove. So far, it’s great and honestly, I think I’ve learnt a lot over the years about how to engage with your team mate, how you work as a team in helping the team achieve the ultimate goal. One of the reasons we have more world titles than any other team. I am excited to engage with him, to collaborate with him, hopefully, our driving styles aren’t too dissimilar.”
The seven-time world champion went on to add, saying:
“I know also what it’s like for him being in the position up against a world champion and I know the pressures that come with it, the expectations and also the internal feelings of what it is like. I want him to learn as much as he can and grow as much as he can, and I have no doubts he’s going to be a strong competitor. I will be focusing also hard to make sure I do the job to the best of my ability.”
Lewis Hamilton was baptized by fire in his maiden season in F1. The rookie had to take on the then-defending world champion Fernando Alonso in equal machinery. Despite much infighting and scandals, the Briton was a single point away from winning the world championship at the first time of asking. He would eventually fulfill that ambition a year later in 2008.
