“Max wanted me to pass before the detection point, but I’m not stupid”. Like this Lewis Hamilton at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix he declared that he understood perfectly what the Dutch driver’s intentions were when he suddenly slowed down before the last corner. “Give him back his position, but do it in a convenient way”, the radio instruction received by Verstappen, who, compared to Bahrain where he stepped aside, dirtying the tires and throwing another attack to the wind, this time tried to put Hamilton in difficulty. .
The seven-time world champion did not pass Verstappen until he made contact with the rear of the Red Bull following what the Commissioners later referred to as a brake-test as shouted over the radio by Hamilton, as the Dutchman exerted a pressure of 69 bar on the brake pedal with a deceleration of 2.4 G. The penalty was 10 ″ with 2 points on the License. Damon Hill commented on the episode: “Obviously it is up to the riders who have to give up the position to do it in the safest way possible, but I don’t see what Verstappen did wrong. Hamilton was nervous about parading next to him. I think he didn’t understand exactly what was going on. Lewis isn’t intimidated by Verstappen, but he knows he needs to be cautious when he gets close to the Dutchman. Verstappen is a rider who drives without compromise, but he has the talent to do it ”.
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