MOTORSPORT: Hamilton hospitalises Verstappen

The simmering rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reached boiling point when the pair touched at 300km/h on the opening lap of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone.

While Verstappen crashed his Red Bull heavily into the safety barrier and spent his afternoon in hospital, Hamilton recovered from a 10-second penalty for triggering the incident and drove to a remarkable win for Mercedes-AMG in front of his adoring home fans – and his personal guest Tom Cruise.

Hamilton needed help from his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who moved aside to let him challenge and pass Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari with two laps to the flag, as he trimmed Verstappen’s championship lead to just eight points.

Daniel Ricciardo drove strongly for fifth in his McLaren but was still behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who now sits strongly in third in the standings while the Aussie is only eighth.

While his opposition fumed, and Red Bull’s F1 advisor Helmut Marko called for a one-race ban, Hamilton has clearly gone on the offensive after losing a string of aggressive first-lap moves by Verstappen.

“Today, as always, I tried to be measured in how I approached the race, particularly battling with Max – he’s very aggressive but I was fully alongside him and he didn’t leave me any space,” said Hamilton.

“Regardless of whether I agreed with the penalty, I took it on the chin and I just kept working. I was just like, ‘I’m not going to let anything get in the way of the crowd’s enjoyment of the weekend, the national anthem and the British flag.’”

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss, spoke for his driver after seething through the aftermath.

“This is an incredibly difficult way to end the British Grand Prix weekend and it goes without saying that we are all just thankful Max was able to walk away from the car, despite later being taken to hospital for precautionary checks,” said Horner.

“I have reviewed the footage many times and still cannot help but feel that putting a wheel up the inside at Copse, one of the fastest corners in this world championship, was ill-judged and a huge risk by Lewis to both drivers.”

Apart from the first-lap tangle, which has been coming for months, the British GP saw a major format change for Formula One and the introduction of the all-new racer that will be introduced for the 2022 season.

The Sprint Qualifying contest on Saturday – F1 refuses to call it a race even if it is a race – shuffled the grid as Verstappen won and claimed pole position even though Hamilton had been quickest in the one-lap qualifying runs.

Fernando Alonso starred for Alpine as he advanced with his trademark aggression but Sergio Perez was the biggest loser when he spun and was forced to start the main event from the pit lane after repairs and was never a factor in the race.

Leclerc’s second place was the best for Ferrari during a fightback season but he was still disappointed to be run down by Hamilton.

“We have to look at the positives in this situation, despite the disappointment. The team has done an incredible job and fully deserves this podium,” he said.

Ricciardo looked more competitive in his McLaren but knows he needs more than a fifth.

“I did struggle with outright pace. There were parts of the race where I felt I couldn’t do that much more, so I’ve still got areas to work on with myself, and getting the car more to my liking,” he said.

But the other front-line Aussie at Silverstone, Oscar Piastri, had plenty to celebrate as he took pole position and a podium place to take the lead of the FIA Formula 2 championship in his rookie season at the last level before Formula 1.

2021 British Grand Prix results:

2021 Formula 1 driver standings: