The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix goes on file with Lewis Hamilton’s 103rd win. The Englishman did not have an easy life at all and indeed, he was the protagonist of a heated duel with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has often gone beyond the limits of fairness, openly seeking contact on occasion and ending up finding it. However, he was sanctioned with a 5 second penalty.
And under the magnifying glass of professionals and team principals, the race direction of Michael Masi rightly ended. The clearest and most direct of all is Christian Horner, a man at the top of Red Bull.
For Horner, in this crucial phase of the fight for the world title, a figure like Charlie Whiting, who died on the eve of the 2019 Australian GP and was replaced by Masi himself, is heavily missing.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“It was very frustrating and we don’t feel like the five second penalty was justified as Lewis rear-ended Max. There will be a hearing shortly, but it seemed like he was just trying to avoid overtaking because he didn’t want to not get the DRS.” Horner told Motorsport.com at the end of the race.
“I think we’re too regulated. It seems the sport has missed Charlie Whiting today, I’m sorry to say. Yes, it’s difficult for Michael and the stewards, especially in this type of circuit, but it’s the same for everyone.”
“Today every decision we made went against us, as they did in Doha a couple of weeks ago. When we got the 5 second penalty, we tried to create a gap between Max and Lewis, but Verstappen’s bottom was damaged and so we preferred not to force and let us pass rather than find ourselves without points at the end of the race due to a retirement. In the last laps, we could clearly see some cuts in the tires, they were at the end of life “.
The thought that a contact between Hamilton and Verstappen can be reached in Abu Dhabi does not affect Horner’s granitic certainties. “You want to win on the track, in a fair way. Not ending up in the sand or with something decided by the stewards inside a room. I hope to be able to see a fair and clean race between these fantastic drivers in Abu Dhabi.”
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