Yesterday’s Brazilian Grand Prix was an all-action affair, but it was the events following the race that have stirred up controversy.
On the track, Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon were involved in a collision, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to claim the 10th race victory of his Championship-winning campaign.
Verstappen was not in a forgiving mood, with his radio capturing him saying “What a f****** idiot” in the moments following the incident.
Here’s the Telegraph with a description of the collision:
Verstappen was leading the race and looked certain for victory when the Force India of Esteban Ocon tried to unlap himself in turns one and two.
Ocon was on fresher tyres and was keen to pass. He put a move down the outside of the Red Bull.
But leader Verstappen, most likely not expecting to be unlapped by the Frenchman, turned for the apex of the corner and the pair made contact, spinning them both and losing Verstappen first place. Lewis Hamilton profited from the crash, taking the lead and eventually the victory.
You’ll hear Verstappen voicing his displeasure in this video:
At the completion of the race, the two then shared words, before a few handbags were thrown around:
A furious Max Verstappen shoves Esteban Ocon in chest after being taken out in Brazil. First such F1 dust-up for 20 years, after Schumacher v Coulthard at Spa 1998 pic.twitter.com/VRpYUoVhMz
— Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) November 11, 2018
To jog your memory, here’s the Schumacher versus Coulthard dust-up from back in 1998. Again, handbags stuff:
Ocon, who ended up finishing 15th, was deemed to be at fault for the collision on-track by the FIA, and given a 10-second stop-go penalty during the race.
Verstappen didn’t seem in a forgiving mood:
Verstappen was not keen to comment on the post-race incident for which he was summoned. “I don’t really have a lot to comment on that, except he was being a p—-,” he said.
At least both appeared to shake hands with one another after returning from the stewards, but Verstappen’s punishment is still to come.
Autosport below:
The verdict from the stewards said Verstappen “is required to perform two days of public service at the discretion of the FIA within six months of the incident”.
In a statement explaining the verdict the stewards said they understood Verstappen’s feelings on the situation, and they noted that during the hearing both drivers “acted appropriately and cooperated”.
…”While sympathetic to Verstappen’s passion, the stewards determined that it is the obligation of sportsmen at this level to act appropriately and as role models to other drivers at all levels and found that Verstappen failed in this respect.”
Here’s hoping that the final race of this year’s Championship sees the two drivers battling it out once more.
Whilst we may not have a Formula One race down this side of the world, motorsport fans can still get their kicks at the Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa (WRX), which takes place on the weekend of November 24-25.
You can find out all of the details about that one here.
