Red Bull bosses have reacted angrily with Helmut Marko wanting Lewis Hamilton banned for colliding with Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix.
The top two in the championship ran side-by-side for much of the first half of the opening lap at Silverstone, before the Mercedes driver tagged the Dutchman after trying to pass into Copse on the inside.
“It shouldn’t be like that, to be honest with you,” Horner told Sky Sports during the red flag period which followed.
Verstappen and Hamilton collide!
The title rivals come together at Copse, pitching Verstappen into a high-speed crash.
The Dutchman was able to walk away but he has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks#BritishGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/ol1s9dRJoa
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
“Max has incurred a 51G accident. Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time World Champion and he shouldn’t be making manoeuvres like that. It’s unacceptable.
“He’s put a driver…thank goodness the biggest result for us is Max was uninjured. He’s had to go to hospital for precautionary checks after a 51G accident, so I hope Lewis is very happy with himself.”
Hamilton felt he had the right to space as he was alongside on the approach to the near flat-out corner in race conditions, therefore didn’t back out enough to avoid contact with Verstappen, who swept in from the racing line.
“He stuck a wheel up the inside in a corner that you just know you don’t do that. You just don’t stick a wheel up the inside at Copse in that corner in that circumstance,” Horner added.
“He was nowhere near ahead, it was tyre contact left front to right rear and the speed they’re travelling at, it’s one of the fastest corners in the championship.
The view from above of *that* incident#BritishGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/O7QhraSNq0
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
“Lewis has more than enough experience to know that is unacceptable. I’m just very disappointed that a driver of his calibre should make such a move as that.
“It’s dangerous, it looked desperate. I don’t care what Lewis says, have a look on your own analysis, draw your own comparison. For me, that’s a hollow victory.”
Indeed, despite a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, Hamilton did recover to pass Charles Leclerc in the closing laps for his eighth British GP win.
As a result, the gap in the Drivers’ Championship is back down to just eight points between Lewis and Verstappen.
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In theory, Red Bull could appeal the penalty if they could prove new evidence to the stewards, although Horner considers such action likely “meaningless”.
Even so, team advisor Helmut Marko made clear his view that Hamilton deserves more than just a 10-second penalty.
“You can’t do that [penalise Hamilton] within the normal sporting code,” Marko told Sky Sports Germany.
“I don’t know what the maximum penalty is, but such dangerous and reckless behaviour should be punished with a suspension or something.”