VERSTAPPEN DID NOT WANT TO ‘SCREW UP’ HAMILTON IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT!
Max Verstappen says he did not want to harm Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the situation when both drivers were summoned to talk to the judges about an incident that took place at another free training session at Paul Ricard.
Hamilton was investigated because of an improper and unsafe return to the track after losing control of the car in the third bend, causing the British to jump off the track. He was back on the track in bend 5 in moments when Verstappen was in a fast lap.
The judges released Hamilton’s blame, although the incident attracted a lot of attention to the whole sage from the previous race in Canada, where Vettel got five seconds of punishment for improper return to the track, enabling Hamilton to win.
“When something like this happens, I’ll wouldn’t make troubles” – Verstappen said. “ In the end, we do not fight with them anyway. If it were for a title or we were expecting a fight with Mercedes, then we might try to catch them. But in situation like this I do not mean to do it.”
The judges reported that both drivers agreed that the situation was not overly dangerous and that Verstappen was not in permanent defect. They wrote that Hamilton and Verstappen reported limited visibility in the car and pointed out that Hamilton had looked at the rearview mirror twice before returning to the track.
“It does not look you in the rearview mirrors. You can not see if he was watching. But these rearview mirrors are not overly large and that part of the track is very wide. He could not see me. It’s a decent thing not to complain about keeping me.”
Verstappen says this incident can not be compared to the one between Vettel and Hamilton from Canada.
“That certainly was not the case. But it’s just free training, what’s the matter with it? “
