In a dramatic turn of events during the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race, former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator, Martin Brundle, launched a scathing attack on the sport’s stewards following a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.
The incident, which resulted in Perez’s retirement, led to Hamilton being handed a five-second penalty by the stewards. Brundle expressed his disagreement with the decision, labeling it as ‘harsh’.
The incident unfolded after a delayed start and the deployment of the safety car due to Fernando Alonso’s retirement in the gravel. Sergio Perez, driving for Red Bull, had been pushing hard on his intermediate tires to advance through the field.
However, lacking rear grip, he became vulnerable to Lewis Hamilton, who seized the opportunity to overtake as the cars cleared the Poun corner.
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As Hamilton attempted the pass, the two cars collided, causing severe damage to Perez’s sidepod and forcing him to retire after pulling into the pits.
The stewards quickly laid the blame on Hamilton, issuing the five-second penalty promptly after the incident.
Brundle, during the live commentary, did not hold back in expressing his disagreement with the stewards’ decision.
“I think that’s harsh,” he stated.
“Lewis just can’t evaporate. He’s got to try and go through the corner to try and overtake.
“It’s not like he’s arrived late on the brakes and slammed into the side of him.”
Even after reviewing the footage post-race, Brundle’s conviction remained unchanged, describing the incident as a racing one.
“Lewis had claimed the corner, there was an error before by Perez, and he was on the inside,” he argued
“If that’s not racing, and therefore not a racing incident, I don’t know.”
Brundle emphasized that Hamilton’s move was not reckless, and he was in a legitimate position to make the pass.
“It wasn’t Lewis launching an impossible move; he was on the inside of the corner,” he clarified.
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“He did take Checo out of the race, so we have to consider that as well, and it was the Mercedes sliding left rather than the Red Bull pinching him.
“Lewis can’t vamoosh, he can’t disappear at that moment and he’s claimed the corner, what’s he going to do?
“He can’t disappear.”