During the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, title rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen came together around what was the slowest corner of the circuit. It visibly looked like Hamilton’s neck had come in contact with one of the Red Bull’s tires.

Hence, the Briton, hours after the incident, had acknowledged that his neck was still a bit sore. But, now, over a week later, his comment is still irking Red Bull’s advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko.

The Austrian alleged that Hamilton was certainly alright despite the massive tire brushing his neck. He further questioned why Hamilton was spending the night at Met Gala if he was struggling with such soreness, and also ended up taking a dig at the 7-time world champion’s ‘funny’ outfit.

Red Bull advisor fires shot at Lewis Hamilton

In an exclusive interview with RTL, Marko reckoned that the incident was hardly life-threatening, as his post-race action said it all.

The Mercedes driver flew on a 7-hour flight from Monza to New York, hours after the crash. And Marko felt that it would have been impossible to fly with a sore neck, subsequently rounding off the severity of the incident.

“The whole incident was certainly not life-threatening. If he had really serious neck pain or problems, then he would not have been in New York – incidentally, in the very funny outfit he appeared in,” he said.

“If you go on a seven-hour flight with a stiff neck after an incident like this, it couldn’t have been all that serious,” he added.

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Red Bull accepts the blame for the crash

Marko acknowledged that Red Bull are accepting the stewards’ decision to penalize Verstappen even though he continued to reckon it was a racing incident.

“This is a decision of the stewards, we accept it. But in our opinion, it is a racing accident,” Marko said. So what now for Verstappen and Red Bull?

Well, the Dutchman will take up a 3-place grid penalty at Sochi this weekend. Meaning, his highest possible starting position will be P4.

Hence, the Russian Grand Prix could well be an incredibly active race weekend, especially amidst predicted wet weather. So, can Verstappen defy the odds to win the upcoming race against his rival, Hamilton?

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