Red Bull consider protest against Lewis Hamilton’s British GP punishment


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Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team plan to protest Lewis Hamilton’s punishment at the controversial British Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton was fined 10 seconds after his 190 mph collision with Verstappen at Silverstone.

But as the Red Bull driver was forced to retire, rival Mercedes raced to victory, reducing the championship deficit from 33 points to just eight.

Mercedes is only three points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.

And the PA news agency understands that Red Bull is considering whether to appeal the verdict of the commissioners, which they deem too lenient.

Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team, said: “We have rights. We will look at it and discuss it. “

Verstappen, 23, was taken to Coventry Hospital, 40 miles outside Silverstone, for a CT scan and precautionary checks before being released at 10 p.m. Sunday night – seven hours after the crash in the first round.

His father Jos, who competed in 106 races and was a former teammate of Michael Schumacher, said Hamilton should have been disqualified from the race.

Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Verstappen Snr, 49, who traveled with his son to hospital, said: “It is really unacceptable what Hamilton has done.

“Max gave him space and was in front of him. You cannot overtake inside Copse.

“A 10 second penalty is really ridiculous. As far as I’m concerned, they should have banned him from the race.

Verstappen walked away from the spectacular crash – which recorded at an extraordinary 51G – with only bruising.

He returned home to Monaco on Monday, reporting only stiffness, and is expected to be in great shape for the Hungarian Grand Prix – the last round before the summer break – next weekend.

Horner was furious at Hamilton’s conduct, describing the move as “amateurish, desperate and misjudged”.

But Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff decided to uphold the reputation of his star driver.

“He’s a seven-time world champion, defending his legacy, taking on a talented driver in the making,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program.

“We’ve seen this in the past and it can end in a collision. As in many other sports, it takes two to tango.

“There is a rule in Formula 1 that if the front of your car is more than halfway from the other car, then this is your corner, and Lewis was much further than that, so the other pilot should have given him some space.

“But Formula 1 has always been about gladiators in the fastest machines, it’s dangerous, and sometimes you forget it. It can end in an accident because they fight and in that respect, safety is very important.

“Yesterday’s crash could have ended in a serious injury 10 or 15 years ago, but the driver got away with it relatively unscathed.”

Responding to Horner’s criticism of Hamilton, Wolff replied: “When you lose a car, have such a bad accident and your driver has to go to the hospital for precautionary checks, you are upset, emotions are strong and I respect that. “



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