F1 stewards dismiss Red Bull's petition to review British GP collision

The pair made contact as the Brit tried to pass the Dutch, sending the latter to hospital for precautionary checks

LONDON:

Formula One stewards dismissed Red Bull's petition for a review into the collision that took place between their championship-leading driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of this month's British Grand Prix.

The pair made contact as Hamilton tried to pass Verstappen for the lead, sending the Dutchman to hospital for precautionary checks after a 51G shunt into the barriers.

Hamilton was handed a 10-second time penalty but went on to chalk up a record-extending eighth win on home soil and slash his deficit to Verstappen in the overall standings to eight points from 33.

Teams can ask for a review of incidents in accordance with article 14 of the International Sporting Code if they discover significant and relevant new information unavailable to them at the time of the original decision.

Red Bull, feeling Hamilton had got off lightly, had sought a review in accordance with this article.

But the stewards, who have sole discretion to determine whether such a new element exists, ruled that the information presented by Red Bull at a meeting at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday was not "a significant and relevant new element discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned."

The Milton Keynes-based squad presented slides based on GPS-traces from both Verstappen's and Hamilton's cars driving through the right-handed Copse corner where the incident occurred.

GPS data showing the line Hamilton drove while pulling off a similar but successful race-winning move on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into the same corner later on was included, as were lap simulations of the incident.

The team also submitted data from a reenactment of Hamilton's opening-lap racing line into Copse conducted by their reserve driver Alexander Albon last week.   

Stewards said this information wasn't "discovered" but "created" based on information that was already available to Red Bull at the time of the original decision. 

They also noted "with some concern" allegations made by Red Bull in their letter requesting the review. The allegations weren't made public. The Stewards chose not to comment on them, with the petition having been dismissed.

But Mercedes, who are four points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings and whose representatives also attended the meeting in Hungary, referenced the allegations in their statement welcoming the decision.

"... We hope that this decision will mark the end of a concerted attempt by the senior management of Red Bull Racing to tarnish the good name and sporting integrity of Lewis Hamilton."