Hamilton reveals he phoned bitter rival Verstappen after crash at Silverstone
Wanted to ‘break the ice’ to avoid future accidents before Dutchman smashed into his head in Italy
Lewis Hamilton has revealed he spoke to title rival Max Verstappen over the phone following their crash at the British Grand Prix earlier this year.
The Mercedes and Red Bull drivers have been locked in a fierce battle this season as they both look to claim the world title.
The pair collided at 180mph at Copse corner on the opening lap of the Silverstone race back in July and the Brit has opened up on the incident and disclosed that he reached out to Verstappen.
‘I called him after Silverstone, but, again, I don’t mean to be patronising, but I am much older. I’m much older and it was important for me to call and to be able to break the ice,’ he told ESPN.‘I feel he’s a tremendous talent and I am enjoying racing with him. Do I agree with everything he does? It doesn’t even matter. ‘What matters is that he does him and he will learn, and all I can control is what I do and how I handle things.’ Verstappen hit the tyre barrier at 51G and was given the all-clear after spending six hours in a hospital in Coventry.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton received a 10-second penalty after he was judged ‘predominantly at fault’ for the accident, but he recovered to win in front of 140,000 fans.
The crash at Silverstone sparked a row with Verstappen tweeting from hospital that his rival was ‘disrespectful’ and ‘unsportsmanlike’.