"Wound up" Hamilton drove like an "amateur" in Verstappen crash - Horner
"Wound up" Hamilton drove like an "amateur" in Verstappen crash - Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Lewis Hamilton was "wound up" after losing F1's maiden sprint race and ended up driving like 'an amateur' in the build-up to the first-lap clash with Max Verstappen in the British Grand Prix.
Horner was left fuming with Hamilton in the wake of an incident that has lit the blue touchpaper to an explosive campaign over the remaining 13 races as the title rivals give no quarter in their bid for the championship.
Horner initially described Hamilton as "desperate' and "dangerous" and is convinced that what unfolded during the sprint led to that state of mind and Verstappen's 51g impact with a tyre barrier at Copse Corner and a subsequent trip to hospital.
Following what he felt was a "strong" day for Verstappen on Saturday with the sprint win, Horner felt that "added to Lewis’ desperation".
"Having lost the sprint, he was pretty wound up and that’s why he made an ill-judged move," said Horner.
"He ran wide into the corner with too much speed. That move was never on.
"Lewis is a world champion with seven titles and that was an amateur’s mistake and a desperate mistake. We were just very lucky someone wasn’t seriously injured."
Hamilton actions "jeopardised" Verstappen safety
Despite being handed a 10-second penalty by the stewards, Hamilton went on to win his eighth British GP after hunting down Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the closing laps.
Hamilton went on to pass Leclerc into Copse - the scene of the Verstappen crash -forcing the Monégasque to make a small mistake on the exit.
The victory sparked wild celebrations with the overwhelming majority of the 140,000 crowd, drawing scorn from Verstappen who claimed Hamilton was "disrespectful and unsportsmanlike" while he was in hospital.
"I don’t see how Lewis can take any satisfaction out of a win when you have put your fellow competitor and driver in hospital," seethed Horner. "It’s disappointing, it's extremely annoying.
"His actions have jeopardised another driver’s safety and for me, that’s unacceptable. He was lucky not to have had the same happen with Leclerc.
"If Leclerc hadn’t have run wide and taken the line he was entitled to, exactly the same incident would have prevailed."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 1 hour ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- 2 hours ago
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- 3 hours ago
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- Today 09:57
Related news
British Grand Prix fate sealed in MASSIVE F1 announcement
F1 British Grand Prix 2024: Full guide and ticket details for Silverstone spectacular
Brad Pitt's F1 blockbuster film hits SETBACK after British GP filming
Wolff DEMANDS 'no stone unturned' at Mercedes to stop Red Bull dominance
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860