Boy, oh, boy! It finally happened – a coming together of title rivals, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton! Undeniably, one of the questions that’s split the world of Formula 1 is – who was at fault? Was Verstappen too aggressive or was Hamilton too optimistic? Did Hamilton get carried away with the emotion of racing at home in front of the passionate British fans?
But why can’t we just classify it as a racing incident? Soumil and Kunal ponder further in this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Sundaram chips in with his awe-inducing post-race stats review.
(The episode description follows below)
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Frankly, we would’ve loved to move on after terming the Verstappen-Hamilton clash as a racing incident. But since the FIA found Hamilton guilty, were they too lenient with their penalty? Or are we just reacting to the outcome of the crash (VER had a heavy one that led to no points) and then the outcome of the penalty (HAM still won!)? Needless to say, but both drivers will battle smarter (or so we assume!) the next time the meet on-track & let’s hope that happens for several seasons to come. And before we move on, a great race by Hamilton to overcome the penalty and still score a win.
The VER-HAM incident showcased another very strong aspect of the sport – the teams lobbying the FIA to turn situations in their favour. Incredible behind-the-scenes radio exchanges between the FIA, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.
Lest we forget, there were 18 other races too. This episodes reviews the 2021 British Grand Prix – Fernando Alonso shining on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Was Ferrari and Charles Leclerc’s pace genuine? They led more laps of the race than Hamilton! Was heat the factor behind the slow pit-stops? Could Lando Norris have finished on the podium had it not been for a slow stop? What’s with Valtteri Bottas’ starts? And finally, when last did Sergio Perez make so many driver errors? Tune in!
(Season 2021, Episode 45)
Follow our hosts on Twitter: Sundaram Ramaswami, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah
Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt
Image courtesy: Mercedes