Verstappen after his collision at the start: “A racing incident”

Max Verstappen believes his clash with Kimi Räikkönen at the start of the Belgian GP is no one's fault.

Published on 03/09/2019 à 09:42

Medhi Casaurang

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Verstappen after his collision at the start: “A racing incident”

The convincing series of 20 consecutive finishes in the top 5 of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was abruptly interrupted during the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who set off on fire in front of his supporters, went to hit Kimi Räikkönen during the first braking at La Source.

He just turned towards me, what did he do?! », exclaimed Max Verstappen into his radio, a few seconds before hitting the wall of tires in the Raidillon. It was very close for “Iceman” to be hit again by the Red Bull! 

 

 

Back in the paddock, the youngest winner of a Grand Prix was more measured. Basically, it's no one's fault. “I got a bad start, my reaction time wasn't ideal and I slipped when I let the clutch out. 

I tried to go to the inside under braking but I think Kimi expected to be completely in front of me. He followed his normal trajectory. » In the footage, it appears that Max Verstappen put all four wheels off the track while diving inside. Curiously, a very similar scene occurred in 2016, in the same place: 

 

 

“I don’t think you can criticize anyone, they just didn’t see me. This kind of thing happens. » In the tragic context of the disappearance of Anthoine Hubert, the Red Bull leader did not want to cause controversy.

“It's not the worst thing that can happen in life, as we saw (Saturday), so I can't really talk about frustration. » 

AUTO n°2232hebdo is available from Monday evening in digital version and from this Wednesday on newsstands.

Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

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