Toto Wolff accuses Max Verstappen of ‘revenge foul’ as he RUINED Lewis Hamilton’s chances of making it into SQ2 at Austrian GP
Lewis Hamilton and Co. will target a podium finish at the Austrian Grand Prix.
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Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, and, Max Verstappen (Credits: Daily Express)
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes Formula 1 Team Principal, has indicated that Lewis Hamiton‘s SQ1 exit yesterday was all down to Max Verstappen‘s antics during the session. Hamilton was on a fast lap going into Turn 1, but Verstappen came out of nowhere and ruined the former’s lap, leading to his elimination. Verstappen went on to secure pole and win the event while Hamilton finished outside the top 10.
Lewis Hamilton was already having a tough time during the SQ1 session, but Max Verstappen’s actions poured even more misery onto his outing. A lot was said about the incident by the commentators, and questions were raised about whether the Dutchman blocked the 38-year-old on purpose.
After the event, Verstappen defended his actions, but Toto Wolff was having none of it. While talking about the incident, he told, The Race, “The mistake happened on our side, the communication between us and Lewis didn’t give him the right information to get out of Max’s way, and no one wants to be in anybody’s way because if you impede, you’re getting penalized.”
“On the other side, Turn 1 was a revanche [‘revenge’ or ‘retaliation’ in French] for it. You know, it was to make sure that his lap is ruined. “So, one was not intentional, the other one was intentional. But who cares? In the end, we looked at it, is it going to change our race or not? But I think they’re going to talk about it in the drivers’ briefing next week,” he added.
Lewis Hamilton is staring the Austrian GP from P5 on the grid
While much has been said about Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint shootout outing, the main points will be given during the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix. The Brit is starting the race from P5 on the grid and is in a strong position to at least score a podium place finish for the Toto Wolff-led team.
Mercedes has been on a strong run in recent races, and Lewis Hamilton would want to continue that run by scoring another podium at the Red Bull ring. Traditionally, the circuit has not been a strong one for Mercedes, but they have done a lot of good work on the W14 this year, and its race pace should be able to keep them in the fight for the podium places.
Considering that Lewis Hamilton has two Ferraris, one McLaren, and Max Verstappen’s RB19 starting ahead of him, how do you see him tackling these cars during the initial few laps of the race? The best way forward for Hamilton could be to make as many places as possible on going into Turn 1 on the first lap of the Austrian GP.
In case you missed it:
- WATCH: “He is just a sore looser”- Max Verstappen impeding Lewis Hamilton during SQ1 as revenge for a previous incident at Austrian GP, F1 Twitter reacts
- “It should not be repeated,” Fernando Alonso urges FIA to fix alarming visibility issues in rain after the tragic death of Dilano Van’t Hoff at Spa-Francorchamps in treacherous conditions
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)