Hamilton tough on Verstappen in Norris duel: 'I had it many times in 2021'
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton believes adjustments need to be made to the rules following the Lando Norris and Max Verstappen drama during the United States Grand Prix. The seven-time World Champion also stressed he knows this from his own experiances of racing against the Dutchman during the 2021 Formula 1 season.
During the United States Grand Prix, Norris caught up with Verstappen and the two engaged in a multi-lap battle. Norris finally overtook Verstappen on lap 52, but did so off the track. The stewards deemed Verstappen ahead at the apex of the corner and therefore penalised Norris with a five-second penalty even though Verstappen also left the track. McLaren have lodged a Right to Review, which will be heard on Friday.
What is Hamilton's opinion about the Verstappen/Norris drama?
The situaiton is very important for McLaren and Norris. The 24-year-old is trying to hunt down Verstappen in the World Championship. Ultimately, the penalty meant Verstappen increased his lead in the World Championship to 57 points with five Grands Prix and two sprint races remaining. The last time Verstappen had to fight for the title in closing stages of the season came against Hamilton in the 2021 season.
The two rivals endured a season long battle, with many intense moments on the track. When reviewing the incident, Hamilton used his own experiances against Verstappen to support his view.
"It's always been a grey area, that’s why he’s got away with it for so long. They probably need to make some adjustments for sure. Also we do have inconsistencies through rulings weekend in, weekend out obviously depending on the stewards there. As a sport we do need to level up on and we look at other global sports, they have full-time refs, and I'm sure that wouldn't be a bad thing for our sport," Hamilton said, suggesting a similar solution to the one stated by former Haas boss Guenther Steiner.
"I experienced it many times with Max, and he shouldn't be able to just launch the car up the inside to be ahead and then you go off and still hold the position," Hamilton concluded.