Hamilton ‘concerned’ Verstappen in hospital, sees no reason to apologise

The pair tangled as they battled for the lead on the opening lap of Sunday’s British GP at Silverstone, with Hamilton tagging the rear of Verstappen’s car as he attempted a lunge into Copse.

Verstappen suffered a huge 51G impact with the barriers and is currently in hospital undergoing precautionary checks.

Hamilton said he was concerned to learn that Verstappen had been taken to hospital but believes he shouldn’t have to apologise for what he believes to be a racing incident.

“I don’t think I’m in the position to have to apologise for anything, we’re out there racing,” Hamilton said.

“I heard Max is in hospital and that definitely concerns me. None of us ever want any of us to ever get injured, that’s never my intention, so I really hope he’s OK.

“I’ll hit him up after this just to check he’s okay, and we live to fight another day. There’ll be a lot of tough races coming up and we have to learn to strike a decent balance.

“I don’t agree with the stewards but I take my penalty on the chin and get on with my job.

“I’m not going to whine about it, everyone’s going to have a different opinion, I don’t really care what people think. I do what I do and am really grateful for today.”

And Hamilton responded to criticism from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who described the Briton’s victory as “hollow”.

“It doesn’t feel hollow,” Hamilton said. “There’s 2000 people that work incredibly hard in my team, it’s not just about me naturally, of course this is not the way I want anything to happen in the race.

“I think it’s important for all of us to take a step back. I’m sure emotions are running high there, I know what it is like to lose points within a team and be in that position so I don’t feel any way about it.”