Horner slams ‘amateur, desperate’ Hamilton for putting Verstappen in hospital

Hamilton’s controversial first-lap collision with title rival Max Verstappen was the major talking point from the Silverstone race, with the pair tangling on the opening lap at Copse.

Hamilton tagged Verstappen’s left rear as he tried an ambitious lunge into the corner, sending the Dutchman spinning off into the barriers at high-speed. He was handed a 10-second time penalty for the incident but was still able to win the race.

“If you look at the overhead he’s run wide into the corner,” Horner told media including Crash.net after the race.

“He’s carried too much speed. That move was never on. Lewis is a world champion of seven titles. That was an amateur’s mistake and a desperate mistake.

“I can’t see how Lewis can take any satisfaction from a win when he’s put his fellow driver in hospital.

“It’s disappointing, it’s extremely annoying. His actions have put in jeopardy another driver’s safety and for me that’s unacceptable.

“[He was] lucky not to have the same crash with [Charles] Leclerc – if Leclerc hadn’t run wide and taken the line he’s entitled to then the same incident would have prevailed.”

Verstappen remains in Nuneaton hospital where he is undergoing precautionary checks following the 51G impact.

“He has been through all the precautionary scans and he retained consciousness at all times,” Horner added.

“He is battered, he is bruised, it is the biggest accident of his career, a 51g incident. I’m just grateful that it is not worse than that, that he was able to get out of the car and walk away as it was an enormous accident.”