Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have made contact in the first lap of Silverstone
Championship leader Max Verstappen and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton made contact on lap one of the British Grand Prix, causing the Dutch driver to careen off the course.
The pair were dicing it out for the lead when Hamilton came across and clipped the tyre of Verstappen:
Drama on the opening lap at Silverstone
Verstappen and Hamilton collide at Copse
Verstappen hits the barriers. He's out of the car and has walked away #BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/mvZZyI2fkS
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
The contact was seemingly the fault of Hamilton, and saw Verstappen in a particularly nasty bump with the barrier, though he has luckily exited the car with no obvious injuries.
Hamilton was heard to say he had the line on his rival, but Red Bull vehemently protested.
“I was fully inside,” claimed Hamilton, “it was my line, and he turned in on me.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told the race director, “It was 100 per cent Max’s corner. As far as I am concerned, the full blame is on Hamilton.”
The moment of impact between Hamilton and Verstappen 👀#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/kxbV5xPYPt
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
The incident has caused a red flag, which meant the race has stopped while debris from Verstappen’s car is cleared and the barrier is rebuilt.
The incident left Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at the front of the grid. After the race resumed, it was confirmed that Hamilton would have to serve a 10-second penalty, which would cost him up to 30 seconds in total [with pit lane entries and exits considered].
