Max Verstappen insists there are no “hard feelings” from last year as he returns to the British Grand Prix this weekend.
In 2021, the Dutchman suffered a 51G impact with the barriers after being tagged by Lewis Hamilton entering Copse corner on the opening lap.
Hamilton ? Verstappen
There was plenty of drama on our last visit to Silverstone, including this on the opening lap ?#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/pTKqSeYhtS
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 26, 2022
While the Mercedes driver was given a 10-second penalty for causing the accident, Lewis recovered to pass Charles Leclerc and claim a record-extending eighth victory at Silverstone.
Flash forward to now, and ironically, there are some similarities between last year and 2022, as Verstappen enjoys his biggest lead in the championship so far and has won three of the past four races.
But any lingering thoughts about 2021 have long since passed.
“Of course, the crash wasn’t nice, but I love the track,” Verstappen said via GP Racing.
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“I love going there. It’s [a] really good atmosphere with Formula 1, and we’re going really quick around there.
“So I don’t have any hard feelings. I also think very easily I can put these things aside. Of course, it wasn’t nice what happened, but at the end of the day, you deal with it.
“It wasn’t a nice impact for me personally, but we go out there again and try to win of course.”
Come Abu Dhabi, and Verstappen arguably got his revenge for Silverstone by passing Hamilton on the final lap to win the world championship in controversial circumstances.
Catch!! ? Getting up close with the fans on #BritishGP Thursday ? pic.twitter.com/qDFAWeBF1Y
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 30, 2022
And with the emotions of many British fans still raw about that day, is Max ready for a potentially hostile reaction this weekend?
“The good thing is, once we jump in the car with the helmet on, you don’t hear anything!” he pointed out.
“And they love motorsport. I mean, it’s such a big history in England in general, right?”