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The controversial collision between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the first round of the British Grand Prix yesterday was viewed as a racing incident by several of their main rivals.
Hamilton was fined 10 seconds for the collision and two points on his license, as commissioners deemed he was “primarily responsible” for the incident. He tangled with Verstappen at the Copse corner, sending the Red Bull through the tire barriers at high speed and with a recorded impact of 51G.
Charles Leclerc, who was immediately behind the pair when they became entangled, described the collision as a “racing incident”.
“It’s very hard to judge from the car, we’re very low so it’s hard to see,” he said. ” Everything happened really fast. Obviously, I could see that there was a lot going on in front of me.
“I think it’s a racing incident. It’s pretty hard to blame one or the other. Obviously there was space inside.
“Maybe Lewis wasn’t completely at the top, but it’s also true that Max was quite aggressive on the outside. So things happen, what is most important today is that Max is unharmed and that he is fine.
Hamilton passed Leclerc at the same turn later in the race. The Mercedes driver praised Leclerc’s “respectful” approach in his fight for position.
“I knew Lewis was on the inside,” Leclerc said. “I left a gap and unfortunately I think I stayed ahead, but at the very end of the turn I had a snap and wasted a bit of time and then Lewis walked past me. “
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Red Bull pilloried Hamilton for the collision. Team manager Christian Horner has accused him on several occasions of having “stuck a wheel inside” his driver. However, Fernando Alonso believes Hamilton was far enough alongside Red Bull to qualify for the corner kick.
“It looked pretty close, I think Lewis had more than half a car alongside Max,” Alonso said. “So, in a way, Lewis couldn’t disappear from that inner line. It’s not that you could disappear.
Alonso also said none of the drivers were at fault. “It was an unfortunate part of the race, but nothing intentional or nothing that either driver had done wrong in my opinion. So it was an unfortunate moment, I guess.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas wasn’t surprised that the pair ended up colliding.
“I saw them fight in the first round, kind of like yesterday. I had a feeling something was going to happen.
“But they were fighting hard. This kind of thing, it happens, it’s racing. It can happen. When you fight hard, when you don’t give up.
“I’m just glad Max is okay because it was a big shunt. Plus, I really feel like Lewis fully deserved the win today.
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