FIA Stewards share verdict on the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen crash in the F1 Hungarian GP

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have escaped penalties after their dramatic battle in the Hungarian GP, which sent the latter airborne for a few seconds. The stewards viewed the collision as a racing incident, with neither driver receiving any post-race penalties.

On Lap 63 of 70, Verstappen and Hamilton were fighting for the final podium spot. The Red Bull driver drove into Turn 1 and locked up his front wheels, carrying excessive speed. His rear tires made contact with Mercedes' front wheels, sending him airborne.

The Stewards summoned both drivers, with Max Verstappen arguing that Lewis Hamilton was moving under the braking zone. The Brit put down the collision as a racing incident, stating that he was following the normal racing line into Turn 1.

After reviewing the evidence, the Stewards decided that Hamilton was not changing direction under braking, but suggested that the Mercedes driver could have done more to avoid the collision. They ultimately decided that no driver was to blame, and didn't issue any penalties.

An excerpt from the FIA document read:

"It was clear that Car 1 [Max Verstappen] locked up both front wheels on the approach to turn 1 prior to any impact occurring but missing the normal cornering line for a typical overtaking manoeuvre."

As to the cases made by Verstappen and Hamilton, Stewards suggested:

"The Stewards do not consider this to be a typical case of 'changing direction under braking' although it is our determination that the driver of Car 44 [Lewis Hamilton] could have done more to avoid the collision."

"Accordingly we determine that no driver was predominantly to blame and decide to take no further action" it concluded.

Lewis Hamilton took the final podium spot behind the McLaren drivers, while Verstappen retained his fifth-place result. The defending champion currently holds a 76-point advantage over Lando Norris in the driver's championship.

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Max Verstappen comments on his collision with Lewis Hamilton

Reflecting on the collision with former title rival Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen reckoned that the Brit was moving under the braking zone, while he was fully committed to taking the inside line.

"I went for a move that was fully on, but then in the middle of the braking zone, when I’m already committed of course to the move, he suddenly just keeps [moving] right, and if I wouldn’t have turned while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. So I went in the air," Verstappen was quoted as saying by F1.com.

Verstappen also referred to his collision with Lando Norris in the Austrian GP, explaining how the two instances were different He argued that his contact with Norris was in the initial phase of braking, while Lewis Hamilton kept turning right into the corner.

The reigning champion opined that Hamilton should not have turned when he was making the move into Turn 1 on the inside.