Luyendyk would make different choice on crash Max and Lewis: 'Nothing at all!'

F1 News

30 October 2021 at 16:30
Last update 30 October 2021 at 17:24
  • GPblog.com

Former racing driver Arie Luyendyk spends a lot of time in the US, but he also keeps a close eye on Formula 1. The Flying Dutchman however doesn't understand the stewards this season when it comes to the crashes between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

The championship battle between Verstappen and Hamilton this year has been extremely exciting and at times the two teams have clashed on the track, with two explosive results. On one occasion the Brit was blamed and on the other the Dutchman.

Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk however doesn't agree with the stewards' decisions. "I think the stewards thought 'let's keep it fifty-fifty, then we'll end up with zero at the end'. But of course it doesn't work like that, because Silverstone for example had a rough ending after the contact," Luyendyk explained in conversation with Motorsport.com.

Different choices at the crashes

The IndyCar steward would have given Hamilton a heavier penalty than the stewards in Formula 1 have done. According to Luyendyk, Hamilton was also the responsible party in his eyes. "With us the responsible party is always the one who wants to overtake. We then give a drive-through penalty or the driver has to give up the position. But in this case Hamilton could not give up much because Max was in the fence and quite heavily too."

At the crash in Monza, Luyendyk had also made a different choice than the race control in Formula 1. "I had done nothing. Max went to where the space was, but that space disappeared very quickly. That's why he hit the kerb, not the other way around. So I wouldn't have done anything, they were both out of it at the end," concluded The Flying Dutchman.