Ricciardo responds to 'surprising' Verstappen move

3 years ago 332

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo has defended his erstwhile teammate Max Verstappen implicit claims helium failed to cheque connected the payment of Lewis Hamilton aft their Italian Grand Prix crash.

The satellite title rivals were eliminated aft they collided astatine the archetypal chicane, with the Red Bull climbing implicit the apical of the Mercedes. Only the halo instrumentality saved Hamilton from superior injury, oregon adjacent worse, with Verstappen's close rear tyre coming down connected his helmet.

Verstappen was heavy criticised for seemingly walking distant from the collision without checking connected Hamilton's condition, a determination that Hamilton labelled arsenic "surprising".

"If it weren't for the halo, Lewis could person died," erstwhile satellite champion Jackie Stewart said past week.

"Not adjacent to spell to spot Hamilton aft a superior mishap erstwhile you person conscionable driven implicit the apical of the feline is thing I don't truly understand."

But Red Bull squad brag Christian Horner pointed to the information Hamilton was trying to reverse his car retired from underneath Verstappen's arsenic impervious the seven-time champion was perfectly OK.

"Even the aesculapian car didn't spot the request to deploy," Horner said.

It's the 2nd perchance superior clang betwixt Hamilton and Verstappen this season, aft Verstappen was sent into the tyre barriers connected the opening thigh astatine Silverstone, suffering a 51g interaction with the wall.

Ricciardo, who was teammates with Verstappen from 2016-2018, says the 23-year-old wouldn't person walked distant from the Monza clang if helium felt determination was a accidental Hamilton was hurt.

"I cognize Max, we were teammates for a fewer years," Ricciardo told the Pardon My Take podcast.

"That's him, helium is simply a competitor, he'll permission it connected the way and that's it. I conjecture helium inactive possibly was carrying a spot of choler oregon a small spot of vexation from Silverstone. Maybe that's wherefore helium conscionable said, 'stuff this', and walked away.

"I saw him spell implicit his caput but past stopped a spot much forward. I deliberation wherever Lewis was trying to reverse and get out, possibly Max saw that and thought, 'OK Lewis is fine', but I don't know.

"If we spell done an mishap and we cognize the different operator was injured, I'm 100 per cent definite we would each effort to help, we wouldn't conscionable crook our backs."

Verstappen received a 3 spot grid punishment aft stewards judged helium was "predominantly" astatine fault.

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