Max Verstappen Not Penalized for Hungarian Grand Prix Crash
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were summoned to the stewards after the race for their Lap 63 crash.
After deliberation, it was decided that neither Verstappen nor Hamilton would be placed at fault.
Verstappen's fifth-place finish means he lost eight points of his championship lead to Lando Norris, who finished second. A penalty would've pushed him back to sixth.
With seven laps remaining in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen had finally passed Charles Leclerc after being marooned back in fifth position. Verstappen was battling for the final podium spot for most of the race but never had the speed to battle with the McLaren duo up front.
Frustrated, as told by numerous exasperated radio calls, Verstappen attempted to pass Lewis Hamiton in turn one for the final podium position. Passing on the inside with DRS on, Verstappen locked up his front wheels, hitting the Mercedes and briefly becoming airborne; Verstappen ran himself off the track and rejoined in sixth.
MAX GOES FLYING!
Verstappen got past then locked up - he thinks Hamilton moved under braking!
Never a dull moment between these two ⚔️#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/MM3incY2Em— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
In the FIA document released, it's said that Verstappen argued that Hamilton was at fault for changing direction under braking. The stewards, after reviewing the video, disagreed, saying that Hamilton was following his normal racing line.
This is the second time in four weeks that Verstappen has been criticized for a crash; in Austria, his block of Lando Norris resulted in Norris' first DNF of the year.
Hamilton said that it was a racing incident, and at the end of the day, the stewards agreed. Verstappen maintains his fifth-place finish, losing eight points of his championship buffer to Lando Norris, and Hamilton holds on to his 200th career podium.
With Sergio Perez' seventh-place finish, Red Bull lost 27 points in the championship battle to McLaren's 1-2 finish.
You Might Also Like