Verstappen reveals details of Vettel support after Hamilton Silverstone crash

Ewan Gale
Sunday 20 November 2022 07:00

Max Verstappen will never forget how Sebastian Vettel supported him after his crash with Lewis Hamilton at last year's British Grand Prix.

The two-time champion was speared into the barriers at Copse corner after contact with Hamilton's Mercedes on the opening lap of the race in what was one of many flashpoints during their championship rivalry.

With Vettel retiring after Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen has paid tribute to the four-time champion. He said: "He has meant a lot to Red Bull.

"He came through as a junior and basically achieved all of it in the sport. He still has a lot of friends within Red Bull, of course, all the way up.

"He's had a career that a lot of people could only dream of. But at the end of the day, that's not everything."

Verstappen was sent to hospital after the Silverstone crash which resulted in a 51g impact.

Recounting how Vettel stayed behind, Verstappen explained: "As a person, he's always been very caring.

"Of course, I had my heated battles with him, especially at the beginning of my career.

"But for me, one thing I will always remember for the rest of my life, last year, at Silverstone, I came back from the hospital to my motorhome to get all my stuff and he was there, waiting for me when I got out of the car.

"He said, ‘Are you okay, Max? How are you doing? Are you okay?’ and that just shows how he is, a super nice, caring person who is not only there for performance, but also means well.

"That's also really nice to be remembered like that.

"We'll also do a helmet swap, so that's definitely a very nice helmet to have in the collection. He will definitely be missed.

"But on the other hand, I also really wish him well for the future, whatever he wants to do, to be honest, but what is most important is to spend time with family.

"He's a real family man, and that's great to see and a great example."