Even before the GP of Silverstone had started, the race was already over for World Cup leader Max Verstappen. After a pressing start, the Dutchman was tapped by his title rival Lewis Hamilton, after which Verstappen ended up in the tire wall at high speed. Hamilton eventually won his home race and celebrated it extensively. Thick against Verstappen’s wishes. “Not sporty and disrespectful”, the Dutchman called it.
Verstappen was allowed to start from pole, but Hamilton seemed a little better off. The two went side by side in search of the leadership position, with some close calls result. In the end things went wrong in turn nine: Verstappen and Hamilton touched each other, after which Verstappen slid off the circuit.
Verstappen ended up in the tire wall at high speed and, according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, received a huge blow of 51G. Fortunately, the Dutchman seems to get away with the shock, but he does lose very valuable points in the battle for the World Cup title.
The race was then halted for a while as the tire wall at turn nine had to be repaired. Lewis Hamilton was given a 10-second time penalty for the incident, but was allowed to continue.
Max Verstappen is therefore unharmed. Although he did share a sneer at Lewis Hamilton on Instagram. “First of all, I’m glad I’m okay. It was a strong impact, but I already feel better. Of course I’m very disappointed that I went out of the race like that. The penalty (which Hamilton received, ed.) does not help us in any way and is not in proportion to the dangerous action Lewis made on the course. To then watch the celebrations after the race while I’m still in the hospital I find disrespectful and unsportsmanlike. Well, let’s move on,” he said.
In any case, it was not a very good weekend for Red Bull, because after a spin during the sprint race, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had to start last of the pack. He ultimately failed to finish in the points.
Racist insults to Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has been racially insulted on social media after his win. According to Sky Sports, emojis of a monkey would have been placed with messages from Mercedes, Hamilton’s team, on Instagram.
In recent years, Hamilton has often championed Black Lives Matter, the movement that fights against all forms of racism, including police brutality. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week called on social media companies to take up the fight against racism on the internet.
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