Hamilton Open to Peace Talks With Verstappen, But Warns a Repeat of Silverstone F1 Episode

The fight for the top reached a new level at Silverstone this afternoon. Championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at Copse on the first lap of the race.

The accident caused Max to spin off track, crashing into the barriers with a damaging 51 G impact. The incident stirred a lot of controversy in the paddock.

There was a lot of anger, and argument between the team principals of the teams involved. Each blamed the other; including Hamilton.

In the post-race interviews, race victor Lewis Hamilton discussed the episode. Lewis says that it takes two for something to happen, “It’s never one person’s fault. it’s always a balance.”

Renowned F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto shared his conversation with Lewis on Twitter. He tweeted, “He [Lewis] says that he is open to talks with Max…”

Barretto quotes the Brit: “For him [Lewis], it’s ‘Game on, just keep on attacking. There needs to be respect on the track-and if not this will happen more often I guess.”

Neither driver was too happy about the start. Verstappen, losing his lead, and potentially hurting himself, and Hamilton with the 10-second penalty.

The blame game- Reactions to the collision

After the initial shock died and Verstappen walked out of the car, evidently okay; the brawl began. Fingers were being pointed, statements were being made, and even emails were being sent. In the time between the red flag and the green light, chaos ensued.

Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, immediately took to the airwaves and blamed the crash on Verstappen. He shares his thoughts on the team radio, “That was 100% Max’s corner. Full blame lies on Hamilton.” 

Horner was blunt about his feelings in post-race interviews: “I think it was a desperate move… Copse is one of the fastest corners in the world. You don’t stick a wheel up the inside. That’s just dirty driving.”

Read More: British GP F1 Report: Drama All Around as Hamilton Wins After Crash Controversy With Verstappen

The Mercedes boss was quick to defend his driver. Toto Wolff reacted with emails to sports director Michael Masi. RedBull’s Helmut Marko wants Hamilton to be given a race ban for the incident.

Team Verstappen and Team Hamilton battle it out on the internet. We wanted drama at the British Grand Prix, but maybe it’s reached its limit.

Hamilton and Verstappen exchange strong words

The two individuals involved in the collision are maintaining a civil tone, but their words drip with rage. Hamilton- happy with his eighth win on home soil- had a theatrical celebration to commemorate the win.

He also had some fervent opinions about his rival. “I just feel like he doesn’t need to be as aggressive as he is.” He added, ” I don’t think… that I am in a position to have to apologize for anything.”

Unable to talk to interviewers, Max made a statement from the hospital. He felt that the post-race celebrations were “disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior.” Verstappen shares the opinion that the ten-second penalty was not enough for the “dangerous move Lewis made on track.”

As the blame game continues, Mercedes clearly had an important day today, even if it was at the expense of Verstappen’s DNF. The Silver Arrows are now 4 points behind Red Bull in the constructors.

Hamilton has closed the gap between him and Max to 8 points. With Silverstone ending in the madness it did, one can only hope that Max feels better and the two sort it out, heading towards a more competitive race in Hungary.

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