After a second trip to North America, Formula 1 returns to Europe and the Silverstone Circuit for the British Grand Prix.
The race kicks off a slate of four races during the month of July prior to the series taking its summer break. Max Verstappen’s drive at the Canadian GP highlighted a driver in top form and one who looks to be on his way to claiming his second driverʻs title.
The British GP, however, is one of those races from 2021 that left a mark. With Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen on the front row to start, the two engaged in a war of wills that ultimately – and predictably – saw them collide.
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
If you do not recall, Verstappen crashed out and eventually visited the hospital for observation. Hamilton found himself with a 10-second penalty, yet managed to recover and claim his eighth win at the British GP.
The incident seemed to bring out various intense reactions. Those supporting Verstappen argued in his defense. Those backing Hamilton did the same. Pundits and fans who sat in the middle argued about the penalty, who caused the collision, and whether or not the world is round. From a more distant perspective, watching Verstappen and Hamilton bang into one another, the fracas was a long time coming.
The two had been racing relatively cleanly and trading barbs in the press, but had yet to do anything drastic. This skirmish seemed to change the tenor of the title fight and the team principals became ever more vocal as part of the F1 theater.
But one thing that should be remembered is that one of the first things Hamilton said after taking off his helmet was, “I hope Max is OK.”
Whatever else was going on in the race, and whatever argument you want to make about Hamilton being sincere, he still had the presence of mind to mention his rival.
The reason for making such a mention comes after former F1 champion Nelson Piquetʻs comments surfaced this week regarding an interview he did following the British GP.
Per ESPN, “The 69-year-old used a racial slur about Hamilton while blaming him for his collision with Max Verstappen, the boyfriend of Piquet’s daughter Kelly, at last year’s British Grand Prix. The comments were made in Portuguese on a podcast last November, but only came to light this week.”
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