Hamilton 'Really Surprised' By Verdict From Stewards In Verstappen Incident

Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 22:01

Lewis Hamilton returned back to the incident with Max Verstappen as he suggested he was "really surprised" by the stewards' verdict.

Red Bull Racing F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided on lap 63 of the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. Both could, fortunately, finish the race without massive damage, although the Dutchman lost a position after the contact.

While the seven-time world champion suggested he saw the collision as a racing incident, the Dutchman made it clear that he felt Hamilton moved under braking, and hence, he was to be blamed for his lock-up and the consequent collision.

After discussing the situation with both drivers, the stewards said they didn't think Hamilton moved under braking, but their document also said the Mercedes driver could have done more to avoid the collision.

Ultimately, stewards deemed it a racing incident as "no driver was predominantly to blame." Asked whether he was surprised by the conclusion that the stewards reached, Hamilton said, according to motorsportweek.com:

"Yes, very much so. I was really, really surprised by it. I think already I was very relaxed about the situation. I just said, it's just a racing incident, let's just move on."

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"But considering one car was in control, one car was not in control at the time. And if you look at the replay, I'm very, very far from, at the end of the whole move."

The 39-year-old repeatedly highlighted after the race how he left enough space between his car and the apex, so hearing that he could have done more to avoid the collision surprised him.

"I'm very, very far from the apex. So, I've left, there's a lot of room on the right-hand side. So, I was very, very surprised."

Verstappen and Hamilton were also spotted shaking hands after the race and agreeing to talk later. However, the British driver now revealed there was no conversation afterward.

"We didn't talk afterwards. I mean, we went to the stewards. That's it. Yeah, we've not had a talk. I don't know if we will. Maybe we'll talk in the parade this weekend. I've not felt that there's necessarily a need to."