Brawn hopeful that title is won on the track, not in the stewards' room

Verstappen and Hamilton had to report to the FIA stewards after the race because of the incident. The Dutchman received a three-place grid penalty for the Russia GP in two weeks' time. "Fans will be split, I’m sure. It’s clear both drivers could have avoided it. Ultimately I think it’s another consequence of two guys going head to head and not wanting to give inch. It’s a shame they ended up in the gravel because it could have shaped up to be a great race – and we were deprived of that", Brawn said.

Impact on championship

It's not the first time this season that the two rivals have clashed. It also happened at Silverstone, where only Verstappen crashed out. "I’m interested to see what impact this has on their on-going battle for the title. We have lived through Silverstone which was a major and controversial incident. Personally, I wouldn’t say it has changed the dynamic. You’ve got two cockerels in the farmyard at the moment and we are seeing the consequence of it", Brawn continued.

Brawn hopes that the penalties and incidents are not going to affect the final championship. "I don’t think either will back off at any moment for the rest of the year but I hope the championship is won on the track not in the barriers or the stewards room."