Verstappen “not interested in getting involved" in fallout from F1 crash
Verstappen and Hamilton clashed at Copse as they battled hard for the lead on the opening lap of the British GP at Silverstone, with Hamilton going on to claim a controversial victory to reduce Verstappen’s championship advantage down to eight points.
Hamilton was handed a 10-second time penalty after he was deemed to be “predominately” to blame for the collision by the stewards, but Red Bull felt the punishment did not go far enough and has since lodged a right of review.
A hearing to determine whether the incident should be re-examined will take place on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The fallout has sparked a war of words between the Red Bull and Mercedes camps but Verstappen has little interest in the drama.
“I don’t have much to say on all the media hype and to be honest I am not interested in getting involved in any of that,” Verstappen said in a Red Bull preview.
“I know what happened at Silverstone as I was in the car and obviously I feel a certain way about how my race ended but now I’m just focusing on making sure we are the best we can be on track so we can stay ahead in the championship.
“The team can take care of the official side of things and anything that needs looking into after the crash but my job is the same as always - to be the best I can and try to win on Sunday.
“I enjoy Hungary as a track and let’s hope there is a little less action on the way to the grid as the mechanics worked some sort of miracle to get my car out for the race last year!”
Verstappen suffered a 51G impact with the barriers and was taken to hospital for precautionary checks, before being released later on Sunday evening after the race.
The Dutchman insisted he feels “absolutely fine” aside from some bruising and revealed he has taken part in a 24-hour simulator race to help him get back up to speed after the accident.
“I’m happy to get back on track in Hungary this weekend, especially after the last race result,” he explained. "I’m a little bruised of course but that’s normal after such a big impact but I’m training and feeling good.
“I did a 24hr sim race this week and it was a good test to see how my body would react to spending time sat in one position and behind screens for a long time.
“I felt absolutely fine which makes me feel positive heading into the weekend. I’m definitely ready to go again!”