‘Someone needs to tell him there’s a corner’ - Nico Rosberg insists Max Verstappen deserved penalty

Nico Rosberg wades in on Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's dramatic collision in Hungary.

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W15 and Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W15 collide. Formula 1 World
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W15 and Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes…

Nico Rosberg is convinced Max Verstappen deserved a penalty for his collision with Lewis Hamilton at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen and Hamilton came to blows at Turn 1 eight laps from the end of Sunday's race at the Hungaroring when the Red Bull driver made a move to try and claim the final podium place from his old F1 title rival.

But Verstappen locked up and ran deep, resulting in his left-rear tyre tagging Hamilton’s front-right and sending him airborne.

The Dutchman dropped to fifth after the clash and suggested Hamilton was to blame. Both drivers escaped punishment following a stewards investigation.

"I am assuming Max hasn’t seen it yet on TV,” Rosberg said on Sky Sports, before the stewards’ verdict was announced.

“Otherwise someone needs to tell him there is a corner, which is why Lewis was turning in! Lewis was taking the corner. I am pretty sure he’ll get a penalty of 5 or 10 seconds and drop behind Sainz.”

Analysing the accident, ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson said: “Two things - why did the lock-up happen and who was at fault for the collision?

“As they head down the straight [Verstappen] is behind Lewis as they both overtake the Williams. Lewis ducks back towards the racing line, which you would expect.

“Then, I think, Lewis takes a slightly shallow approach to the corner. I do think there is a slightly early turn in, which catches Max out slightly.

“[Max] is going for the gap thinking ‘it will be straight’. Lewis goes in. At some point, you have to turn into the corner. That’s this grey area that all these drivers play around with.

"Max did it in Austria. Lewis was doing it here. You are making it uncomfortable for the driver trying to overtake you.

“They go onto the marbles, it’s very hard to slow down at this point. There is plenty of room, way more than a car’s width to the right-hand side.

“So, you can still go down the inside. But you’re carrying such speed now that you’ll probably lock up.

“That’s what happened. Not just one lock up. Both front wheels locked up. That makes the car go straight. Because the car goes straight, that’s the cause of collision.

“Lewis goes to turn in. But when it locks up for Max, it’s as if the car goes left. It doesn’t - it’s an optical illusion. When you get a double-front lock up, you have no steering. That’s what ultimately caught Lewis out.

“That’s why he didn’t turn out of the corner. Because you’re not expecting the car on the inside to suddenly go absolutely dead straight, as it did.

“When you see the amount of lock up and how far the car was about to go wide? It was a racing incident, I think. The main cause of collision was because of Max. But he was a little bit compromised going into the corner.

“It’s a grey area. Whether it’s a jink to your opponent to move out to overtake you, then you counteract. That’s quite different to a subtle turn in. But it is in the braking zone, but so is the entry to the corner.”

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