MOTORSPORT: Expect more F1 fireworks
Battle lines drawn ahead of this week’s Hungarian GPThe Formula 1 grand prix action promises to be just as tough and torrid off the track as it was at the British GP two weeks ago when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton renew their fight for the 2021 world championship in Hungary this week.
Red Bull Racing has been granted an official FIA hearing to appeal against the severity of the 10-second penalty handed to Hamilton after his collision with Verstappen on the first lap at Silverstone, and is clearly hoping for a bigger hit than the time penalty that failed to stop Hamilton winning the race.
RBR consultant Dr Helmut Marko, a former F1 driver who reports directly to company boss Dietrich Mateschitz, is calling for a race ban for Hamilton.
“I don’t know what the maximum penalty is, but such dangerous and reckless behaviour should be punished with a suspension or something,” Marko told Sky Germany.
“You can’t within the normal sporting code.”
Red Bull has been making all the noise since the crash, which team boss Christian Horner says cost more than $2 million after Verstappen’s car was effectively destroyed by a 51g impact with the safety barrier at Copse Corner.
“The reality is that Hamilton has met his match in a car that is now competitive. I agree that both drivers need to show each other respect, but Hamilton was the aggressor,” says Horner.
“It is no secret that we felt at the time, and still feel, that Hamilton was given a light penalty for this type of incident.
“Hungary will be a different challenge for the car and the team and we will all be fully motivated to retain our championship lead. Max won’t dwell on anything from Silverstone and wants to do his talking on-track.
“He is determined to put this incident behind him and use it as added motivation for the rest of the season, as are we.”
That is clearly the plan for Verstappen, who was lucky to escape any serious injury at Silverstone, as he prepares for Hungary.
“The team can take care of the official side of things and anything that needs looking into after the crash, but my job is the same as always – to be the best I can and try to win on Sunday.”
Mercedes F1 has avoided any inflammatory comment and, instead, used the build-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix to announce the creation of Ignite, a joint charitable initiative with Hamilton to support greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport.
“Everyone has their own opinion on the events of Silverstone, and it was a very polarising incident,” says team boss Toto Wolff.
“However, the most important thing is that Max is OK. It's never nice to see a car crashing, particularly at such high speeds and at a corner like that, so we're glad he emerged from the accident unscathed.”
Hamilton has committed nearly $100 million of his own money for the Ignite program, which is the key outcome from The Hamilton Commission, which was tasked to investigate diversity in Formula 1.
“Ignite will focus its work on increasing the pipeline of more diverse talent aiming to enter the motorsport industry – and igniting and inspiring enthusiasm for motorsport through STEM education,” says Mercedes.
The focus of effort for the UK-focused initiative will include developing exciting and stimulating STEM curriculum materials, developing more diverse educators to inspire students from under-represented groups in STEM, enhancing education enrichment opportunities around STEM and motorsport and providing financial support to students wishing to pursue careers in STEM.
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