‘Crazy man’ – Max Verstappen crash incensed Lewis Hamilton and provoked wild Toto Wolff reaction
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 title bout will go down as one of the greatest, but also one of the nastiest. The pair kept things respectful out of the car, but inside they both pushed each other over the line, which was showcased in spiteful fashion in Saudi Arabia with two races to go. Hamilton and Verstappen staged a title fight for the ages, but in Saudi things got out of handGetty The Red Bull and Mercedes drivers had already come together an unprecedented number of times throughout the closest season in F1 history. Verstappen was hospitalised with a 51 G-force crash in Silverstone, while he landed on top of Hamilton in Monza and twice forced him well off the track in Brazil. Yet in Saudi the line was crossed more than ever before with a brake check that left Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff smashing his headphones to smithereens. The Middle Eastern track is now the fastest on the calendar and due to its numerous straights, getting within one second of the driver in front is better than being head of them. If you’re just behind at a DRS activation zone, the rear wing of the car can open, allowing far less downforce and far more speed for an easy overtake. Well aware of the huge advantage, Verstappen was penalised for an overtake on Hamilton in the closing stages and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, told him over team radio: “Let’s give the position back to Hamilton, obviously do that strategically.” Race leader Verstappen was indeed strategic, slowing right down before the DRS activation point so that he’d be able to gain the place straight back on the following straight. However, Hamilton wasn’t having any of it, and stayed behind up until the moment of extreme drama. “This guy’s f****** crazy man!” Hamilton yelled as drove into the back of Verstappen. “He just brake tested me! “I’ve just hit him, my wings broken. I didn’t know what was going on!” F1Hamilton got close and then Verstappen made them touch[/caption] Sparks flew inside and outside of the carGetty Hamilton’s wing was ruined, as were Verstappen’s rear tyres, yet the Brit took the win to leave the pair level on points heading to the Abu Dhabi season finale. Wolff’s headphones were also shattered, as was Hamilton’s trust of his competitor. “I’ve been racing a long time but that was definitely incredibly tough,” the now-Ferrari driver said. “Trying to be as sensible and as tough as I could be out there, but also sensible. “With all my race experience over the years, just keeping the car on track and staying clean. It was difficult. I needed to keep my cool. “I’ve raced a lot of drivers in my years and a lot of different characters, and there’s a lot over the limit for whom rules don’t apply… Today, I just tried to do my talking on the track. “He brake-tested me to try to get the DRS into the last corner to overtake me into turn one again. He is over the limit, for sure.” F1Wolff exploded in the garage and destroyed his headphones[/caption] With the two drivers and teams in open warfare, there was no admission of guilt for Verstappen, despite the stewards picking up 69 bar of brake pressure from his Red Bull just before the incident. “The sudden braking was determined to be erratic and hence the predominant cause of the collision,” they concluded. The Dutchman was given a ten second penalty for the incident, which made no difference as he held on to second place, earning points that were crucial in him overcoming Hamilton in the controversial finale. Wounds have never quite healed between the drivers and the teams, yet there was later admissions that Verstappen was, as Hamilton put it, f****** crazy in Saudi. Red Bull head Helmut Marko initially said the team were unfairly treated over the incident, but later readdressed those comments. “At the time of the television interview, I passed on exactly the information I had previously received from the engineers,” he told F1-insider. Newey and Marko always had Verstappen’s back, but couldn’t defend this oneGetty “They obviously weren’t right, so I’m sorry.” Car designer Adrian Newey also made the same admission, telling The Race: “Probably what he did in Brazil last year was a bit naughty. Saudi was silly. “I think he got frustrated with Lewis not overtaking him but he still shouldn’t have brake-tested him.” Nevertheless, the moment is now part of F1 folklore, and with Verstappen back scrapping for points after years of dominance, we might be about to see a return of the crazy at this year’s event.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 title bout will go down as one of the greatest, but also one of the nastiest.
The pair kept things respectful out of the car, but inside they both pushed each other over the line, which was showcased in spiteful fashion in Saudi Arabia with two races to go.
The Red Bull and Mercedes drivers had already come together an unprecedented number of times throughout the closest season in F1 history.
Verstappen was hospitalised with a 51 G-force crash in Silverstone, while he landed on top of Hamilton in Monza and twice forced him well off the track in Brazil.
Yet in Saudi the line was crossed more than ever before with a brake check that left Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff smashing his headphones to smithereens.
The Middle Eastern track is now the fastest on the calendar and due to its numerous straights, getting within one second of the driver in front is better than being head of them.
If you’re just behind at a DRS activation zone, the rear wing of the car can open, allowing far less downforce and far more speed for an easy overtake.
Well aware of the huge advantage, Verstappen was penalised for an overtake on Hamilton in the closing stages and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, told him over team radio: “Let’s give the position back to Hamilton, obviously do that strategically.”
Race leader Verstappen was indeed strategic, slowing right down before the DRS activation point so that he’d be able to gain the place straight back on the following straight.
However, Hamilton wasn’t having any of it, and stayed behind up until the moment of extreme drama.
“This guy’s f****** crazy man!” Hamilton yelled as drove into the back of Verstappen. “He just brake tested me!
“I’ve just hit him, my wings broken. I didn’t know what was going on!”
Hamilton’s wing was ruined, as were Verstappen’s rear tyres, yet the Brit took the win to leave the pair level on points heading to the Abu Dhabi season finale.
Wolff’s headphones were also shattered, as was Hamilton’s trust of his competitor.
“I’ve been racing a long time but that was definitely incredibly tough,” the now-Ferrari driver said. “Trying to be as sensible and as tough as I could be out there, but also sensible.
“With all my race experience over the years, just keeping the car on track and staying clean. It was difficult. I needed to keep my cool.
“I’ve raced a lot of drivers in my years and a lot of different characters, and there’s a lot over the limit for whom rules don’t apply… Today, I just tried to do my talking on the track.
“He brake-tested me to try to get the DRS into the last corner to overtake me into turn one again. He is over the limit, for sure.”
With the two drivers and teams in open warfare, there was no admission of guilt for Verstappen, despite the stewards picking up 69 bar of brake pressure from his Red Bull just before the incident.
“The sudden braking was determined to be erratic and hence the predominant cause of the collision,” they concluded.
The Dutchman was given a ten second penalty for the incident, which made no difference as he held on to second place, earning points that were crucial in him overcoming Hamilton in the controversial finale.
Wounds have never quite healed between the drivers and the teams, yet there was later admissions that Verstappen was, as Hamilton put it, f****** crazy in Saudi.
Red Bull head Helmut Marko initially said the team were unfairly treated over the incident, but later readdressed those comments.
“At the time of the television interview, I passed on exactly the information I had previously received from the engineers,” he told F1-insider.
“They obviously weren’t right, so I’m sorry.”
Car designer Adrian Newey also made the same admission, telling The Race: “Probably what he did in Brazil last year was a bit naughty. Saudi was silly.
“I think he got frustrated with Lewis not overtaking him but he still shouldn’t have brake-tested him.”
Nevertheless, the moment is now part of F1 folklore, and with Verstappen back scrapping for points after years of dominance, we might be about to see a return of the crazy at this year’s event.
