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Max Verstappen feels he doesn't need to look at footage of his incident with Lewis Hamilton on Lap 48 of the Brazil Grand Prix since he was behind the wheel. The Dutchman has defended his move, describing it as "hard racing" and said he enjoyed a good battle with Hamilton.
The onboard footage released after the race shows Max Verstappen not being able to turn into the corner on time, resulting in him running wide and forcing Lewis Hamilton wide and off-track. The incident has divided opinions in the paddock ahead of the Qatar race.
Speaking ahead of the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said:
“I didn't need to look at the footage because I was driving the car. I know exactly what happened. And like I said last time out, I thought it was a great battle and I had a lot of fun as well out there. At the end of the day, they won the race. Fair enough. They were faster than us. But yeah, it was a good battle.”
Defending his move, Max Verstappen said:
“You know, as a driver, I think we know exactly what we can or cannot do in a car. We were fighting hard, braking late into the corner, the tyres were quite worn. If I would have turned more abruptly to the left, you just spin off the track. So that's why we are the drivers. We try to control the car.”
In the footage, at no point is the Red Bull driver seen steering into the seven-time world champion. So technically it doesn't qualify for a penalty but is seen by the stewards as hard racing instead.
Max Verstappen summoned to stewards due to Right of Review request by Mercedes
The Red Bull Racing driver has been summoned to meet the stewards to explain his Lap 48 incident from the Brazil Grand Prix, due to a Right of Review request filed by Mercedes. According to the Silver Arrows, Max Verstappen deserved a penalty for the move.
The Right of Review request was filed due to the release of new onboard footage from Max Verstappen’s car, which was not taken into consideration by the stewards when they made their original decision.
