Will Verstappen get a penalty? 'This is racing'

Damon Hill finds it difficult to determine whether Max Verstappen should have received a penalty at Brazil. On Sky Sports, the former world champion explained where Formula 1 has to balance between.

Verstappen fought tooth and nail to defend his leading position at the Brazilian Grand Prix. On lap 48 he went wide in turn four together with Lewis Hamilton. The stewards did nothing at that point, but Mercedes took it in their stride with a 'Right to Review'. The stewards are now reviewing the incident.

Duels in Formula 1

"It looked very much like Max was using every bit of road to keep Hamilton from passing. At the time I thought it was a penalty, but the other way of looking at it is to let things run and see if that's going to be the wrong way to approach disciplining drivers on the track or not,'' Hill said. Asked if the concept of 'let them race' is not a bit vague, Hill points to the duels in Formula 1.

"This is racing. We are caught between the desire to let racing drivers manage their own races, but on the other hand, we also have to intervene if we think it is going too far. The incident in this case was not dangerous, but it was a bit excessive how he defended his position," concluded the 1996 world champion.