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IMOLA, ITALY – OCTOBER 30: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff walk in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on October 30, 2020 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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IMOLA, ITALY – OCTOBER 30: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff walk in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on October 30, 2020 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The 2021 season of Formula One saw exciting battles and ever-lasting controversies. Michael Masi’s decision in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is still a hot topic of conversation and up for debate. However, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s crash in Silverstone was also a focal point of the season.
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The documentary ‘Duel’ by Sky Sports covers the battle between the two championship contenders. Hamilton won the contest in Silverstone after Verstappen suffered a crash, as a result of colliding with the British driver.
The Dutchman voiced his discontent at Hamilton celebrating his victory when he was in the hospital due to the crash. However, Toto Wolff feels Hamilton’s celebration was well deserved.
What Happened in Silverstone?
During the Silverstone race, Hamilton and Verstappen were neck to neck in the points table for the World Championship. The incident happened in the first lap of the race, as they both tried to get the top slop on the driver’s leaderboard.
As the crowd roared in excitement, the two make contact and Verstappen went flying into the barriers. The crash was a horrific sight, as the Dutchman suffered a 51G impact when he collided.
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Formula One F1 – British Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain – July 18, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leads at the start of the race ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Max Verstappen was immediately taken to the hospital for checks, and thankfully, the crash did not have a significant impact on him. Meanwhile, Hamilton received a ten-second penalty but won the race after overtaking Charles Leclerc on the final laps of the race.
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The 37-year-old celebrated the victory in his home turf in style, much to the dissatisfaction of Verstappen. The Dutchman took to Twitter to express his disappointment, as he criticized the ‘unsportsmanlike’ behavior of Hamilton.
Glad I’m ok. Very disappointed with being taken out like this. The penalty given does not help us and doesn’t do justice to the dangerous move Lewis made on track. Watching the celebrations while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior but we move on pic.twitter.com/iCrgyYWYkm
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 18, 2021
Mercedes Had No Reason to Feel Guilty, According to Wolff
Lewis Hamilton rejoiced his win in Silverstone by performing a victory lap as he thanked the crowd. Although Verstappen was critical of it, Mercedes Team Principal – Toto Wolff suggested Hamilton deserved to celebrate his victory, and there was no feeling of wrongdoing in the Mercedes camp.
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BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 23: Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff talks in the Team Principals Press Conference during Day One of F1 Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 23, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
He stated, “There was no remorse on our part in Mercedes… because Lewis Hamilton had already stepped aside in Verstappen’s favor in several curves previously when he shouldn’t have. It is obvious that Verstappen in the hospital did not like our celebrations. But it was Hamilton’s home race and the win at that moment completely reopened the title race.”
He added that Mercedes knew Verstappen was fine after the crash. And that is the reason they celebrated the outcome of the race.
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However, Verstappen had the last laugh when he overtook Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win his first championship. The last race was subject to a major controversy regarding the decisions taken by Michael Masi. As a mark of protest, the Mercedes team and Hamilton were not present at the end of the season awards.
The fans hope that the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen will continue in 2022. Will Lewis Hamilton overcome Max Verstappen this time? Only time will tell.
