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Protest from Red Bull unsuccessful; no heavier penalty for Hamilton

29 July 2021 at 17:05
Last update 29 July 2021 at 19:44
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  • GPblog.com

On Thursday afternoon, the FIA held a hearing on Red Bull Racing's protest over the penalty given to Lewis Hamilton for knocking Max Verstappen off the track at the British Grand Prix.

Ten second time penalty

It happened during the opening lap at Silverstone. After Verstappen and Hamilton had been fighting each other for a few corners, things went wrong at Copse Corner. While Hamilton tried to overtake the Dutchman, the Brit hit the rear wheel of Verstappen, which caused a 51G crash for the Dutchman. Hamilton got a time penalty of ten seconds and eventually won the race. 

Red Bull in protest

The Red Bull Racing team felt that Hamilton's penalty was far too light and appealed. This afternoon at 16:00 hours the hearing was held where Red Bull also presented new evidence. This new evidence was not available at the time and according to the team would show that Hamilton was completely to blame. Red Bull hoped that the protest would result in Hamilton being suspended for a race.

FIA does not go along with Red Bull

Red Bull's protest was unsuccessful however. The FIA does not accept the protest of Verstappen's team and Hamilton will not be given a heavier penalty. According to the stewards, Red Bull did not provide significant additional evidence, as reported by Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haaren on Twitter. Verstappen will therefore have to increase his lead over his title rival with a victory on Sunday.