MERCEDES chief Toto Wolff erupted in pure rage after Max Verstappen ‘brake tested’ Lewis Hamilton in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – nearly ending the F1 title race in the process.
The street-race proved to be one of the most dramatic in years and was TWICE red-flagged.
The British star won despite CRASHING into the back of Verstappen.
And the Dutchman twice had to cede a position to the Mercedes driver he had gained illegally.
However, the most shocking incident occurred when Verstappen was ordered to hand the lead to Hamilton.
That was due to him holding on to it by forcing the seven-time champion off the track.
Red Bull were told to hand the lead to Hamilton and Verstappen slowed to do so on the run to the last corner.
But the Merc driver ran straight into the back of him, causing damage to his front wing – with the drivers both believing the other to be at fault.
Mercedes chief Wolff watched on furiously before standing up and throwing his headset down in rage, fearing Hamilton’s title comeback was dead in the water.
Hamilton was then heard saying over the radio: “He just brake tested me!
“That’s dangerous driving.”
The incident, which will be investigated by the stewards after the race, could see Verstappen end up in more trouble.
The race continued with Verstappen still in the lead until he was slapped with a five-second penalty, essentially ending his fight.
That enabled Hamilton to win, with the two drivers now tied on points heading into the last race of the season.
Hamilton said afterwards: “That was incredibly tough and I tried to be as tough and sensible as I could out there.
“I didn’t quite understand why he suddenly hit the brakes quite heavily and then I ran into the back of him. Then he moved on and I didn’t quite understand what was happening.
“Then I got a message afterwards that he was going to let me pass so it was a bit bemusing.”
Wolff told Sky Sports: “I don’t think this is done yet. Lewis deserved it, he could’ve been out a few times with a broken wing. That was spectacular, but not good racing.
“The telemetry shows he [Verstappen] is slowing down, then accelerated, then slowing down again. Lewis did not know [if he was being allowed to move ahead], it’s the wrong sequence of messages.
“We need to look at the stewards and they look at the telemetry and come to a judgement.
“It was a degree of frustration and I need to reserve judgement until I’ve seen the race again tomorrow.
“The driving needs to be assessed and looked at. It is hard, very hard, maybe over the line. We just want to have a clean championship and the best man wins.
“If it is Max, I’m at peace with that but we need it to be a fair race. Max has more wins so it’s still an advantage.
“It’s important to have a great, great race at the end of the season, with two fantastic drivers racing each other. It’s going down to the wire and that’s how it should be.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
