Hamilton would not have finished if not for red flag, Mercedes engineering chief says

Max Verstappen’s Sunday crash with Lewis Hamilton has an interesting twist in the garage of the best team of the last 7 years. Mercedes’ director of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin has also weighed in on the situation. The British Grand Prix was eventually won by Lewis Hamilton despite a ten-second penalty.

It was after the accident that the Safety Car was initially due to take to the track, but eventually red flags were displayed. And it was these red flags that saved the Black Arrows from the disaster of Hamilton’s retirement.

The engineers and mechanics managed to repair the car in perfect cooperation and before the restart of the race the number 44 was 100% ready again.

“The rim on the left front wheel was damaged on contact in a way that would have meant retirement,” Shovlin said of the accident, which certainly looked more than a little horrific. “The rest of the damage was surprisingly minor,” continued the 47-year-old Leeds University graduate.

Hamilton spent the entire race closing in on the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc ahead of him, and in a manoeuvre similar to the one he performed on Verstappen on lap one, he got past the Monegasque with two and a half laps to go before the chequered flag. He scored his 99th F1 victory and 8th overall at Silverstone.

The British driver also had a bit of luck that allowed him to win thanks to the red flag.

Still, we have to salute his performance, as he fought his way to the top step of the podium despite the penalty and significantly erased the gap to championship leader Verstappen.

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