Villeneuve sided with Verstappen: 'Hamilton misjudged the situation'

Jacques Villeneuve considers Lewis Hamilton to be the culprit in Sunday's incident between Max Verstappen and the seven-time world champion. According to the 50-year-old, Hamilton should have done better, but the British driver was (consciously or unconsciously) prepared to take a bigger risk than usual in his home race.

"Lewis misjudged the situation, he should have known that at such a high speed, when he was driving behind, he could slide into Max' car", Villeneuve said to F1 Insider. The former world champion believes the pressure of having to perform in front of 140,000 British fans on the Silverstone circuit played a role in the incident on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton didn't do it on purpose

Villeneuve: "I think the pressure - to be beaten by Max even in his home race - was so great that he unconsciously took that risk. I think in any other race he would have taken his foot off the gas earlier in that corner. It wasn't like Lewis deliberately steered into Max's car, like Michael Schumacher did to me at Jerez in 1997," the Canadian continued.

Hamilton may not have done it on purpose but the driver currently second in the world championship has benefitted considerably from his title rival's DNF. The difference after ten Grands Prix is eight points: 185 to 177 in Verstappen's favour. In two weeks time, the last race before the summer break will be driven. The venue will be the Hungaroring in Hungary. Verstappen will in any case be back in the RB16B, Helmut Marko confirmed earlier, despite concerns over his health after the crash.