Race stewards have determined that neither Max Verstappen nor Lewis Hamilton was predominantly at fault for their dramatic collision during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The lap-63 incident saw Verstappen’s Red Bull briefly airborne after making contact with Hamilton’s Mercedes. Despite Verstappen’s claims that Hamilton moved under braking, the stewards found no clear fault and took no further action. The race result remains unchanged, with Hamilton finishing third and Verstappen fifth.
Verstappen’s frustration was evident over team radio as he battled car issues and strategy concerns. He leaves the Hungaroring with a reduced championship lead of 76 points over Lando Norris, who finished second in an impressive McLaren one-two. Verstappen and Hamilton were contesting third place when the collision occurred at Turn One on lap 63. Verstappen, on fresher tires, attempted to overtake Hamilton but locked up his front tires, leading to the wheel-on-wheel contact that sent his Red Bull off the track.
Despite dropping a place to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Verstappen blamed Hamilton for the incident, claiming the Briton moved under braking. Hamilton, however, described the event as a “racing incident.” After reviewing camera angles, telemetry data, and speaking to both drivers, the stewards concluded that neither driver was “predominantly at fault” and decided no further action was warranted. Their verdict stated that Hamilton could have done more to avoid the collision but did not consider it a typical case of “changing direction under braking.”
Verstappen expressed his views to Sky Sports F1, asserting that Hamilton kept turning right in the braking zone, forcing him to lock up to avoid contact. Hamilton, on the other hand, felt he left enough space and described the incident as a natural part of racing. This decision means both drivers retain their positions in the race, with Verstappen maintaining his championship lead as the teams head to the Belgian Grand Prix.
Credit: Sky Sports
