Formula 1 points leader Max Verstappen says a 24-hour sim race was a “good test” for his body after his heavy crash at the British Grand Prix.
Verstappen suffered a 51G impact with the barriers on the opening lap at Silverstone after title rival Lewis Hamilton tried to pass him at Copse and hit the Red Bull’s right rear.
The crash was significant enough for Verstappen to require a trip to hospital for precautionary checks but he was released later on Sunday.
In his first official comment since the accident, previewing this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen said he has no lingering physical issues from Silverstone.
“I’m a little bruised of course but that’s normal after such a big impact but I’m training and feeling good,” he said.
“I did a 24-hour sim race this week and it was a good test to see how my body would react to spending time sat in one position and behind screens for a long time.
Lights out and away we go!
HAMILTON AND VERSTAPPEN COLLIDE! 💥
Verstappen is out of the car.
Red Flag 🚩
📺: @SkySportsF1
💻: https://t.co/CkqLNAZAQx#SkyF1 #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/6kvCtyyqjN— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 18, 2021
“I felt absolutely fine which makes me feel positive heading into the weekend. I’m definitely ready to go again.”
Verstappen’s crash was a major controversy as he and Hamilton came to blows for the first time during their championship battle.
It was exacerbated as Hamilton, who was deemed predominantly to blame for the contact and given a 10-second time penalty, was able to win the race and cut Verstappen’s lead to just eight points.
Red Bull was furious with Hamilton’s driving in the incident and launched a scathing criticism of the seven-time world champion, while Verstappen said in a short social media message that Hamilton was “disrespectful” for celebrating his win so jubilantly while Verstappen was in hospital.
Though Verstappen has now said he doesn’t have “much to say on all the media hype and I am not interested in getting involved in any of that”, the fall-out has also dragged on because Red Bull is not willing to let it pass.
The team has requested the right to review Hamilton’s penalty as it believes he deserved a harsher punishment.
Team boss Christian Horner also used his post-race column, published last Friday, to double down on his criticism of Hamilton and the Mercedes team.
“I know what happened at Silverstone as I was in the car and obviously I feel a certain way about how my race ended but now I’m just focusing on making sure we are the best we can be on track so we can stay ahead in the championship,” said Verstappen.
“The team can take care of the official side of things and anything that needs looking into after the crash but my job is the same as always – to be the best I can and try to win on Sunday.”
