The British Grand Prix has been red flagged after a high-speed crash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen left the Red Bull Racing driver in the barriers at Copse corner.
The two championship leaders were fighting in close quarters throughout the opening lap at Silverstone, with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver looking to find a way ahead of Verstappen on multiple occasions.
Hamilton appeared to get a run on Verstappen heading down the old pit straight and into the high speed Copse corner, only for the Dutchman to edge back ahead heading into the corner. The two touched on the apex of the turn, with Verstappen coming off worse.
The right-rear wheel of Verstappen’s car was ripped off his RB16B in the incident and he struck the barriers hard. He gingerly got out of the car but appeared to escape injury. Hamilton reported damage to his front wing in the incident and blamed Verstappen for the accident over the radio.
Charles Leclerc is the current race leader after sliding in front of Hamilton on the exit of Copse. The Scuderia Ferrari driver had jumped Valtteri Bottas at the start but is currently out of his Ferrari after the race was stopped to repair the barriers that Verstappen struck.
The incident is being looked at by the stewards and both pit walls are pleading their cases, but even so, it could be a significant moment in the battle for the 2021 World Drivers’ Championship.
