Verstappen almost killed Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is convinced: the halo of his Mercedes “saved his life” when he was about to have his head crushed by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

The rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is taking a very dangerous turn. Two months after their Grand-Prix de Bretagne crash, the two men collided again on Sunday, at Monza, with a double retirement. In the championship, this gives a “draw” between the two stars, with zero points each. But physically, the consequences could have been dramatic.

At real speed, the image is less spectacular than that of Verstappen’s car thrown into the tire wall, at Silverstone, full speed. But Hamilton, casually, could have come out very touched. Lifted by a vibrator, the Red Bull of Verstappen passed over the Mercedes of its rival. When idling, we see that the right rear tire of the single-seater passes level with Hamilton’s head, and even touches it. Without the halo, she could have been crushed.

F1 cars, with their foolproof cockpits (or almost), are made to withstand shocks such as the one suffered by Verstappen in Great Britain. For a long time, it was the pilot’s helmet area that was the weak point in terms of safety, the dramatic accident suffered by the late Jules Bianchi being the illustration. Since then, the halo has been installed on single-seaters. Unsightly, it undoubtedly saved Romain Grosjean’s life last season, and preserved Hamilton’s good health on Sunday.

“I feel very lucky, reacted the Briton after the race. I thank God for the halo that saved my life, that saved my neck. I am grateful to be here again. Someone was watching over me today. “ Hamilton comes off with a good headache, which could be the result of a concussion. This is not trivial, but it could have been much worse, we understood.

After the collision, the behavior of Verstappen was singled out. Dutch, who railed against Hamilton’s celebrations at Silverstone while he was himself in the hospital, did not bother to inquire about the health of the Briton, who remained long seconds in his F1, stunned.

Verstappen was however held responsible for their collision, which will earn him a penalty at the next Grand Prix. After the Monza crash, he left the area where the two F1s were located without a glance for Hamilton. A scene worthy of a western. We have to hope for a less dramatic scenario for the next races.


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