Lewis Hamilton Addresses Qualifying Incident with Max Verstappen

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has spoken out about his controversial incident with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during the qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix. The incident resulted in a three-place grid drop for Sunday’s race.

Mistaken Team Instructions Caused Incident

Hamilton, who qualified fourth, will now start seventh after he blocked Verstappen into Massenet during Q1, causing the Dutchman to abandon his lap. According to Hamilton, his team mistakenly told him that Verstappen was slowing down, which prompted him to move back to the middle of the track and impede the Red Bull driver.

I don’t know if there was some sort of issue with the computer screen,” Hamilton explained. “It said that Max was on a lap, and then it disappeared and said it wasn’t.” He went on to say, “They told me he was on a lap, so I moved to the side… then they realised he wasn’t on the lap, so they told me and I started to accelerate. I stayed fully to the left. And I wasn’t on the racing line, but of course it was distracting for Max.

FIA Race Stewards Summon Both Drivers

Both drivers and their team representatives were summoned by the FIA race stewards immediately after qualifying. Verstappen expressed his surprise if Hamilton escaped without a penalty, stating, “It’s more a team’s fault, but unfortunately in qualifying of course they normally are quite strict on these things.

Verstappen also stated that he had already spoken to Hamilton and absolved him of any blame for the incident. “You see the car blocking you and when you’re there at high speed it’s… not nice, let’s say,” he said. “But then I saw immediately, the team told him that I was driving slowly, while I was clearly driving fast, so it’s not Lewis’ fault.

Hamilton Feels More Confident in Ferrari This Weekend

Hamilton also revealed he’s feeling more confident in the Ferrari this weekend, after a strong outing in Imola. “I’m definitely getting there,” he explained. “I feel the last race was a really good step, and then coming into this weekend, I’ve definitely felt more at one with the car.” He continued, “I think it’s a much, much different car driving here than I’ve had for the last 12 years. But one I’ve really enjoyed driving.” Hamilton also mentioned that he was quite happy with his recovery from the crash during practice sessions.