LOSAIL, Qatar – Max Verstappen believes he did nothing wrong by defending the top of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix against title rival Lewis Hamilton last weekend, saying he will make the same move again in a similar situation.
The incident caused both drivers to run to the turn-off area at the intersection, which was not investigated by management at the time. but will be reviewed after Hamilton’s Mercedes team asked the FIA to review it.
Part of the Mercedes request was based on onboard footage from Verstappen’s front-facing camera, which was not available to managers at the time, and helped provide context for Verstappen’s braking point and steering angle relative to position. of Hamilton on the track.
Verstappen will participate in an online videoconference at 5:00 p.m. local time on Thursday so administrators can determine whether an investigation should be conducted.
But speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, the championship leader said he still feels as though he did nothing wrong.
Asked if he would do so again, Verstappen said: “Yes.
“As a driver, I think we know exactly what we can and can’t do in the car. We fought hard, brake hard around corners, tires worn, and if I had any If you can’t turn left more suddenly, you just have to deviate. So that’s why we’re the drivers, so we try to steer the car.”
Verstappen revealed that he did not review the video evidence from his car because he felt it was unnecessary.
“No, I didn’t need to see the footage because I was driving the car so I know exactly what happened!
“I think it was a great fight and I’m happy to be out there too. At the end of the day, they won the race fair enough, they were faster than us, but I think it was a good fight.”
Verstappen leads Hamilton by 14 points on the championship rankings with 3 races remaining, of which the first stage will take place in Qatar this weekend.
Mercedes’ request to reconsider the 48 lap incident in Brazil is a sign that the two championship challengers, Mercedes and Red Bull, are ready to fight the battle for the title off track as well as on it. .
“I think it’s quite normal that it’s between two teams instead of one with two drivers,” Verstappen said
