“He has a memory like an elephant,” Christian Horner alludes to potential Max Verstappen grudge after latest Hamilton collision in Brazil


“He has a memory like an elephant,” Christian Horner alludes to potential Max Verstappen grudge after latest Hamilton collision in Brazil

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the press conference of the Hungarian Grand Prix (Image through IMAGO / HOCH ZWEI)

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided on lap 7 of the Sao Paulo GP between turns 1 and 2. Hamilton (who was ahead at the apex) had been on the inside while Verstappen attempted to keep his nose in the corner and ride the kerb (in his own words, he ‘went for it’). But the Briton had closed the door long before that, and so they made contact.

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Verstappen was judged to be predominantly responsible for the collision and was handed a 5-second penalty. Responding to the Dutchman’s apparent ability to hold grudges, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “He has a memory like an elephant.” as per GPFans.

Horner also thought that the penalty was ‘harsh’, feeling Verstappen should have been given a bit more space: “Which [the penalty] I thought was a bit harsh, to be honest. For me, I thought he’d earned a bit more space than he was given, that Lewis could have given him a bit more to work with because he [Verstappen] was ahead going into the left-hander.”

While the incident and the damage hurt his race, the 5-second penalty hurt it even further: “It’s unfortunate. I think it’s the only incident Max has had this year. Unfortunately, Max was deemed at fault with the five-second penalty which just hurt his race even more. It was very frustrating to pick that up.” He was able to recover to a P6, but that came with its own share of controversy with him refusing to let teammate Sergio Perez through despite team orders.

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Christian Horner avoids 2021 title battle question

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the end of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the end of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

In a post-race interview, Max Verstappen had said of the incident: “I went around the outside and immediately felt he [Hamilton] wasn’t going to leave space, so I just went for it. I knew we were going to get together. It cost him the race win, and it gave me a 5 seconds penalty. It wouldn’t have mattered anything for my race because we were way too slow.” implying Hamilton was at fault for not giving him space.

When asked on the ‘Beyond the Grid’ podcast earlier this year if the two title protagonists in 2021 ‘got into each other’s head’, Horner had felt Verstappen probably got into Hamilton’s head more, and added: “Some of his [Verstappen’s] overtaking last year was stunning and you felt that started to rattle Lewis, I think.” Now, when asked if Lewis Hamilton had perhaps found it hard to let go the events in 2021 (and if that led to the collision), Christian Horner said:

“That’s a big question. More one for Lewis than for me. Unfortunately, the only contact we’ve had this year has been in turn two. As I said, I felt Max had earned a bit more space than he was given. We were surprised by the penalty because at best we thought it was a racing incident.”

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Max Verstappen thinks it had no effect on his race, but especially in the larger scheme of things – it had no effect on his championship. He’d already sealed his title in Japan, and the Constructor’s title in Austin. But for Hamilton, the floor damage he apparently suffered may have cost him up to 2 tenths a lap. Without the contact, it’s possible he could have caught up with teammate George Russell and won the race.

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