Last weekend’s big talking point in Austria, was an incident that saw a collision on lap 64, between title contenders Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, that took both drivers out of contention for the win, handing victory to Hamilton’s teammate George Russell.
Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for the contact, which did not go down well with McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella, who believed the punishment did not fit the crime when he talked to Sky Sports and written media, demanding harsher penalties to be introduced for such actions, providing the title battle between Verstappen and Hamilton as a case study as to the effects of lenient stewarding.
“The problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back.
“They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there were some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way.”
Hamilton, who found himself often on the receiving end of these incidents in the 2021 season, was asked about the comparison and found himself disagreeing with Stella.
“I don’t agree with that, no.”
When pressed further on the issue, a wry smile plastered the face of the 7-time World Champion who once again replied with;
“I don’t agree with it.”
The Brit continued his nonchalant approach when asked if he had any advice for countryman Norris in his battles with the Red Bull of Verstappen.
“Again, I don’t think I need to. They have raced each other for many years.
“It’s nothing to do with me.”
The 39 year-old instead turned attention to what he took from the weekend, as his teammate Russell took his second Formula One victory and Mercedes’ first since Brazil in 2022, ending a 33 race-long win drought.
Hamilton, whilst not enjoying the same success over the weekend, finishing 23 seconds behind his teammate in P4, thanks to a combination of damage, lack of pace and a pit entry penalty, was still was able to enjoy his team’s success.
“I was more concerned about my race and enjoying the team’s win.”
Hamilton, who is the most successful driver at the British Grand Prix, will be hoping to add to his eight victories with another this weekend. Given the improvements his Mercedes team have made over recent races, this is not out of the question if McLaren and Verstappen drop the ball.
