Breaking:F1 Sao Paulo GP: Lewis Hamilton blames Max Verstappen for their clash

The Mercedes and Red Bull drivers made dramatic contact at Turn 1 shortly after the race resumed after a Safety Car.

Hamilton fumed via his team radio: “That was no racing incident, mate!”

Verstappen said to his team: “He didn’t give me space. Where did they expect me to go? He just closed the door. But it doesn’t matter.”

Sky’s Martin Brundle said: “I think Max earned the right to a little more space.”

Verstappen needed to pit for a new front wing, coming off worse after the clash.

Hamilton was second, Verstappen third, at the time of contact behind George Russell. But they both dropped down the order as a result.

Verstappen was given a five-second time penalty for the incident.

Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen had already crashed out in the early exchanges, causing the Safety Car.

Mercedes teammates told to race each other

Russell asked via his team radio, while he was ahead of Hamilton: “What are we doing? Are we racing? Or securing the one-two.”

The reply was: “You are racing. Just be respectful.”

Russell eventually held off Hamilton to win the race, and lead a Mercedes 1-2. It was the team’s first victory of 2022.

Credit: Crash,CN