Max Verstappen suffered the heaviest impact of his Formula 1 career to date at the 2021 British Grand Prix. He tangled with title rival Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the race.
Hamilton had been fastest in the Friday evening qualifying session, but Verstappen passed him in the Sprint to start on pole for the main Grand Prix. They would duel for the first half of the opening lap.
The Mercedes driver saw an opportunity to make a move down the inside at Copse, but arguably misjudged it. His left front wheel made contact with Verstappen’s right rear, sending the Red Bull spearing into the barriers.
The incident ignited an acrimonious debate both inside and outside the paddock. Most importantly, though, the stewards handed Hamilton a 10-second penalty.
He was still able to win the race, narrowing Verstappen’s championship lead to eight points. The Dutchman had to go to hospital for checks.
He was passed fit to race at the Hungarian GP a fortnight later. However, Verstappen suffered vision problems after the 51G impact, affecting him during the second half of the season.
Red Bull mechanic realised F1 isn’t a ‘game’ after Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at Silverstone
Ed Hemsworth, Red Bull’s race parts and lifting controller, had only recently begun his role when Verstappen suffered the serious accident. But even his senior colleagues called it the ‘worst crash’ they’d ever seen.
It was at that point that he understood F1 wasn’t a ‘game’. Rather, the lives of the drivers were at stake when they took to the track.
There was another dramatic collision between the title contenders at Monza only a couple of months later. This time, Verstappen vaulted the halo on Hamilton’s car, with the cockpit protection device perhaps preventing a far more severe outcome.
- READ MORE: Five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s F1 career from 51G crash to shoving rival driver
“It was the worst crash anyone here had ever seen,” Hemsworth told Motorsport.com as he remembered the Silverstone shunt. “When you’re sweeping up parts of the car that our driver sat in, there’s the realization that we’re not just messing around with toys here.
“This isn’t a game where you can press the reset button, this is people’s lives. It was a massive eye-opener.”
The decision Lewis Hamilton made before 51G Max Verstappen shunt
Damon Hill says Hamilton and Verstappen should have started at the back at the next Grand Prix. As race director, he would have sent a clear message that they were being too aggressive.
The crash further strained relations between Red Bull and Mercedes. Christian Horner’s squad felt it was disrespectful for Hamilton to celebrate given Verstappen’s hospital trip, though the seven-time world champion said he was unaware.
According to Toto Wolff, Hamilton ‘decided’ he would not yield before the Copse contact. He didn’t want Verstappen to think he could bully him on track.
Wolff, though, regrets his behaviour in the aftermath. He admits he should have called Jos Verstappen to check on his son’s condition, even if he was clearly confident that he was okay.
