Verstappen 'smoking gun' the FIA lacked in Brazil

FIA race director Michael Masi has conceded Max Verstappen's forward-facing on-board camera 'could be the smoking gun' after going unpunished for forcing Lewis Hamilton off track in the São Paulo Grand Prix.

Verstappen put up a stern defence against F1 title rival Hamilton at Interlagos which resulted in him receiving a black-and-white flag at one stage for weaving.

After collisions in the grand prix of the previous two sprint weekends, the duo came within inches of a three-peat in Brazil as Verstappen appeared to open his steering with Hamilton on his outside at turn four in a move that forced both drivers off track.

Despite Masi noting the incident, no formal investigation was launched, a decision described as "laughable" by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Asked if the forward-facing on-board footage from Verstappen's Red Bull had been available when looking at the incident, Masi said: "It is only the cameras that are broadcast that are basically what we have access to throughout.

"It hasn’t been obtained yet. It has been requested.”

Put to him this footage is the "smoking gun" in this instance, Masi conceded: “It could be, absolutely.

"But we didn’t have access to it. It has been downloaded and once the commercial rights holder supplies it, we will have a look.

“Absolutely [I will look at it]. We’ve got the forward-facing, the 360…all of the camera angles that we don’t get live will be downloaded and we will have a look at them.”

Masi has confirmed Verstappen came close to receiving a black-and-white flag for the incident.

"It certainly came into my mind," conceded Masi. "I looked at it a few more times [and] it wasn't far off a black-and-white flag."

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