‘Penalty Did Not Fit the Crime’ – Bernie Ecclestone Bashes FIA Stewards for Lewis Hamilton – Max Verstappen Decision

Bernie Ecclestone, who previously criticized Lewis Hamilton, suggesting he is no longer the fighter he once was, has again pointed fingers at the seven-time world champion, who won his eighth British GP title.

The two title contenders for this season, Hamilton and Max Verstappen, collided on the very first lap at Silverstone. Max Verstappen went flying into the tire barriers, as a result of which, the race was red-flagged.

Lewis was awarded a 10-second penalty and two penalty points on his license for causing this accident. Since then, there has been significant debate about who is to be blamed for the accident – and Ecclestone is firmly on Max‘s side and blames Hamilton for the crash.

What’s more, he thinks the Briton should have been penalized further.

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What did Bernie Ecclestone say?

“It was clear that everyone was doing his best to win the championship. But if the stewards needed to get involved then they should have given Lewis more than a 10-second penalty. It should have been 30 seconds” said former F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone.

“Ten seconds was not right. The punishment did not fit the crime. If you have to give a sanction, which in some ways they didn’t need to, this was not right decision – it wasn’t enough,” he concluded.

Lewis Hamilton British GP win not possible without the red flag: Mercedes Director

Lewis Hamilton’s left-front tire contacted with the Dutchman’s rear-right on the opening lap at Silverstone. The crash sent Max Verstappen into the barriers in an impact that measured 51G.

The crash resulted in a red flag and the race was suspended for nearly half an hour, which allowed Silver Arrows to scrutinize Lewis Hamilton’s car and to identify any potential blow to the front left tire rim.

Thus, Silver Arrows trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin claims Lewis Hamilton’s Silverstone win would’ve been unlikely without a red flag.

“That would have been a DNF (did not finish) had it [the race] not been red-flagged,” said Andrew Shovlin after the race.

Despite failing to add any points to his championship tally at Silverstone, Verstappen still leads the drivers’ championship. However, Hamilton has managed to bring down the Dutchman’s lead from 25 points to just eight.

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Can Lewis Hamilton display yet another solid performance at Hungary to steal the lead in the championship? Let us know in the comments section below.