Verstappen deserved a time penalty, says Wolff

Toto Wolff of Mercedes was shocked that Max Verstappen was not penalized for pushing Lewis Hamilton off the track at Interlagos.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, expressed surprise that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was not penalized for his contentious defense of Lewis Hamilton, which resulted in both drivers going off the track.

On Lap 48 of 71, Verstappen and Hamilton collided into Turn 4, with Verstappen defending his advantage by driving Hamilton wide as the two crossed the escape area.

While Verstappen held on for three more laps, Hamilton eventually overtook him and won, bringing the Drivers’ Championship closer to a close.

When asked after the race if the victory was one of the most fulfilling of his time as team leader, Wolff stated overcoming the adversity of being disqualified from qualifying contributed to the joy.

“We started the weekend on the back foot with our self-inflicted engine penalty,” Wolff said.

“Then we got disqualified yesterday, which was harsh, and then today, in the race, things went against us too.”

“Max was right on the limit”

Wolff praised both Hamilton and Verstappen for their wheel-to-wheel battles, but believed the Dutch driver had pushed the rules too far.

“Brilliant racing, hard defending, just to the limit,” he commented.

“Lewis was clever, super clever, avoiding the contact. So it was great to see these two super drivers. But not giving it five seconds [penalty] or so? Come on!

“I’d like to see the onboard of Max, actually. It’s pretty spectacular how he does it, but I think Lewis cruising around him to avoid the contact was even better.”

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