"Max is happy to crash with Lewis": Jolyon Palmer on incidents between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer feels Max Verstappen "is happy" to crash with title rival Lewis Hamilton if it aids the Dutchman's title chances.

While discussing the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on BBC Sounds, Palmer analyzed the precarious position the defending world champion was in during the race. He said:

"It feels like the FIA needs to sit with either Verstappen or Hamilton and say, "You can't do this [dangerous driving], it is against the rules. Yeah, he got his five-second time penalty today, but in Abu Dhabi if he gets a five-second time penalty and keeps ahead of Hamilton and wins the race somehow, he's the champion. It is just not the right way of going about it."

The British columnist and pundit went on to highlight that although Hamilton and Verstappen are equal on points, Verstappen holds a slight advantage. That's because should both drivers fail to finish in Abu Dhabi, the Dutchman would automatically be crowned world champion on account of having more race wins. He said:

"From what I saw, Max is just happy to crash with Lewis. And that's what every single flashpoint [during the race] was. Every incident where they're racing wheel-to-wheel, it's Max saying, 'Hey, if we crash, we crash,' and Lewis Hamilton saying, ' I really don't wanna crash because it will be really bad for the championship.' This goes back all the way to day one."

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Lewis Hamilton could potentially lose eighth title in the event of a clash with Max Verstappen

Though on equal points, Max Verstappen holds a minor advantage over Lewis Hamilton going into the finale of the season. FIA rules state that in case of a tie at the end of a championship, the driver with the most number of wins that year is named the world champion.

Verstappen has nine race wins so far, while Lewis Hamilton has eight, making the Red Bull Racing driver the world champion in the event that both men retire from the season finale.

Either way, the tightly-fought 2021 F1 season will come to a close this weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which features a revised Yas Marina Circuit layout.