Max Verstappen suffered a major crash at Silverstone in 2021 (Image: Getty)
’ chief communications officer, Bradley Lord, has revealed that the team feel regretful over the handling of ’s crash at the 2021 , which led to a breakdown in relations between and the Silver Arrows.
The 2021 title fight between Verstappen and was full of flashpoints, but one of the most significant was the opening-lap contact between the two drivers at Silverstone. The man dived down the inside at Copse and understeered into his rival’s right-rear tyre, sending him spinning into the barriers at high speed.
Verstappen’s shunt registered as a 51G impact, and the Dutchman was audibly winded during radio communications immediately after. He later revealed that he suffered a concussion as a result of the crash, which affected his vision for the following handful of races.
Hamilton received a 10-second time penalty due to the contact, but despite having to hunt down Charles Leclerc’s massive lead for the race win, the Brit did so, hauling him back into contention for the Drivers’ Championship title.
Unfortunately for the Brit, the crash only heightened tensions between the two teams after ‘ post-race celebrations were labelled “unsportsmanlike and disrespectful” by Verstappen himself.
Looking back on the handling of the incident, Lord told : “If we were to talk something we regret, I think, having taken the word of a member of the team – and therefore taken a little for granted – Max’s condition after his shunt at Silverstone in 2021.
Don’t miss…
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Verstappen and Hamilton clashed on the opening lap (Image: Getty)
“I think how we were perceived to handle that aftermath was a point at which that relationship in that season soured quite dramatically.
“We could have handled that in a different way that would have been more reflective of the concern we had for Max’s well-being at that point in time, regardless of our view of the incident and the rights and wrongs of it.”
Lord continued: “There was that side of things, and then to have, albeit unintentionally, antagonised the relationship, and the relationship with the fan bases in quite an extreme a way as it happened.
More F1… [REPORT] [VERDICT]
“That’s probably the moment. If we could go back in time and change it, I think we would change our responses and what we did at that point in time, around that afternoon.”
From that point onwards, team principals and were engaged in a near-constant war of words. At the same time, on-track clashes in Monza, Jeddah and Sao Paulo heightened tensions between Hamilton and Verstappen heading into the title decider in Abu Dhabi.