The FIA considered it a race incident that should not be investigated that Max Verstappen drove Lewis Hamilton off the line defending his first position in Brazil. To the greater outrage of the Mercedes team, Michael Masi acknowledged that they did not check the on-board cameras despite the fact that they could have been an ” absolutely irrefutable ” evidence to sanction Verstappen.
” Once the commercial rights holder provides them to us, we will take a look at them, ” assured the Formula 1 race director, prompting Mercedes to file an appeal. Finally, it has not been accepted for processing by the FIA . Thus, Max Verstappen will face the Qatar Grand Prix with a 14-point advantage over Hamilton in the World Cup and without any type of sanction.
After the FIA delivered its verdict, Verstappen denounced in Motorsport that Mercedes had gone too far: “ You can see that its true nature comes to light . It’s not my team, of course, so I don’t have to deal with it, but it’s when you show your true intentions and show who you are. “
“ I think it’s important for us to just focus on ourselves and stay focused, like we’ve always done . That’s what we are going to do in the next races as well, ”the Red Bull driver continued.
Max Verstappen took the opportunity to criticize that Lewis Hamilton was only penalized with five positions during the Brazilian Grand Prix for changing the engine of his car. “It is something to look at. The first time you go back ten positions and after that, five . I find it a bit illogical. If you keep penalizing, I think it should be the same place of positions because you exceed the same limit all the time, “said the Dutchman.
Sparks fly between Mercedes and Red Bull
Regarding the non-sanction to Verstappen, Toto Wolff, head of the Mercedes team, has also spoken. “I expected it, completely. We wanted to encourage discussion because it will be a topic in the next races and the goal has been achieved. We did not expect to go any further ”, he stated. However, he added: ” If the driver who goes on the inside defends himself like this, there will be no more overtaking on the outside .” Along with him, at the press conference, was Christian Horner, his counterpart at Red Bull, who replied: ” Max overtook on the outside at the start of Mexico .”
On the war that both teams are waging, the Austrian team boss added, questioning the Mercedes rear wing: “You heard Toto on the radio after the sprint (‘ Lewis, screw it ,’ he said). It is the first time that they have a rival, it is interesting to see how people relate under pressure. It is the most intense political fight in sport in recent years . Our car meets the standard, no doubt. Do we have doubts about Mercedes’ win on the straights in recent races? Without a doubt . Do we expect the FIA to keep an eye on it? We totally trust the FIA. We want to make sure that, in these last races, the cars are scrupulously watched . Two teams and two drivers are fighting for the biggest prize in the sport and you want to make sure that the playing field is balanced.
This statement by Christian Horner was not unanswered either by a Toto Wolff who assured that everything in his car ” is allowed .” “ I think that nobody would stand on the track with an illegal motor or car . You’d be crazy if you did. One hundred percent. Regarding the tensions between teams, there are a lot of good people working at Red Bull and Mercedes and it’s a great fight. There is respect for the capabilities that Red Bull has, without a doubt. It’s tough because it’s the World Cup. Before it was Olympic boxing, then professional and now it is wrestling. But okay, we are in the ring fighting. Nothing else can be expected ”.
“I don’t need to kiss Toto’s ass.”
The Red Bull boss did not hesitate to correct the Mercedes boss: ” There is no relationship, there is competition .” “ Relationship and respect is different . We respect everything that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have done, but I don’t need to go to dinner with Toto or kiss his ass, maybe other main teams do. Sport is the main winner of this fight, which I hope will be tough and fair until the end of the season ”.
