RED BULL boss Christian Horner has labelled Lewis Hamilton’s collision with title rival Max Verstappen ‘very frustrating’, whilst also moaning about the Brit’s speed.
The two title challengers collided on lap 37 after Verstappen was ordered to give up first place to the Brit.
As Verstappen slowed, Hamilton clipped the back end of his rivals car – damaging his front wing.
Nonetheless, Hamilton held his nerve and won the Saudi GP convincingly to claim his third victory in a row, and the win sees him draw level on points with Verstappen with just Abu Dhabi to go.
On the lap 37 incident, Horner said: “That was a race that was very difficult to manage. I think race control struggled it as well with the amount of debris and VSCs (Virtual Safety Cars), restarts, safety cars.
“I think we feel hard done by with the five-second penalty and in the incident where Lewis has driven up the back of Max.
“They’ll go and explain in front of the stewards, but Max was trying to give the place up. We informed race control we were going to give the place up.
“He lifted off, I think you can hear Lewis has lifted off. I don’t know if he was messing around for the DRS line there.
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“It was clear that we were giving the place up. We’d informed race control. That was what we were going to do.
“There’d been a debate about it. Michael was adamant that you have a choice or it’s going to the stewards.
“At that point you know it’s going to be a penalty. So we said, ‘OK we’ll give the place up.’ We informed race control.”
Horner also didn’t hold back, claiming sector two and three isn’t ‘driver focused’, as ‘anyone can drive in a straight line’.
Whereas Verstappen dominated sector one.
He added: “Sector one is more driver focused and the sector two and three is more about the engine.
“Anyone can drive in a straight line.”
After a meeting with the stewards, Verstappen was deemed to be at fault for the crash, and he was hit with a ten-second penalty.
However, the Dutchman keeps his second-place finish after finishing 16 seconds faster than Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
When asked about the incident later, Hamilton – who is chasing an eighth world title – said: “For me I really had to try and keep my cool out there which was really difficult to do.
“I have raced a lot of drivers through my life in 28 years and I have come across a lot of different characters.
“There’s a few at the top which are over the limit, rules don’t apply or don’t think of the rules.
“I just try to do my talking on the track and keep the car between the white lines and do it the right way.
“There were so many crazy curb walls and then he obviously brake-tested, I think to try and get the DRS into the last corner to overtake me again going into turn one.
“Does Max fall into that category… he is over the limit for sure.
“I have avoided collisions on so many occasions with the guy and I don’t know in his mind being the one who does that.
“But you fight to live another day, which I did.”
