“But it was his home race, and we knew that Max was okay,” Toto Wolff justifies Lewis Hamilton’s celebration at Silverstone

“But it was his home race, and we knew that Max was okay,” Toto Wolff justifies Lewis Hamilton’s celebration at Silverstone

Lewis and Toto

Everyone remembers how the 2021 season ended- filled to the brim with drama. And if you were to ask when the drama and intensity overpowered so much in the last season, the answer would simply be the British GP at Silverstone, the home track of the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen started at the pole with Lewis Hamilton just behind the Red Bull driver. The stakes were high, and so was the intensity. What followed the starting of the race shocked everyone barring Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes fans. 

The 51G crash of Max Verstappen after contact with Lewis sent him to the hospital. And as the race went on and Lewis finished P1, he went on to celebrate with the local crowd. The Briton’s actions drew criticism from many as they said it was uncalled for, and it wasn’t as if he won for the first time on this track, and neither did he win the championship.

FS Video

Toto Wolff defends Lewis Hamilton’s celebration

Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone 2021
Lewis Hamilton at Silvertone 2021

While Max was in a hospital, Lewis was running around the track with a flag, thanking the home fans for their support. While many fans of Lewis have tried to justify his actions, some have criticized too.

Now, defending these actions, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, in an interview with SkySports, as quoted by GP Blog, said, “There wasn’t a lot of feeling of remorse on our side. If you’re sitting in the hospital shaken by a big impact, you’re not going to understand that the other team is cheering for their driver. But it was his home race, a massive swing to our advantage in terms of points, and we knew that Max was okay.”

Regardless of what the driver’s rationale was behind the celebration, the fraternity was glad to see Max return unharmed. And since then, the rivalry between the teams and the drivers themselves hasn’t been the same and is set to be fiercer this season after all the drama that unfolded in the Abu Dhabi GP of 2021.

ALSO READ: “He is a guy that merits to be in Formula 1,” Toto Wolff sympathizes with Nikita Mazepin but understands Haas’ decision