The tensions between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have not ceased to rise since the clash between their two star drivers, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, at the last British GP, which ended up with the Dutchman crashing heavily against the barriers.  

The latest chapter in the ongoing war between the two aspirants to the 2021 crown has taken place this Tuesday with the team of the energy drink hiring the services of a lawyer to investigate the possible actions that could be brought against Mercedes. 

This move was published by the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung where Helmut Marko, advisor to the blue team, confirmed the news with the following words: “The lawyer has to investigate what we can do in such a situation within the frameworks of sports law” 

From the very moment of the crash, Red Bull overtly criticised the manoeuvre of the seven-time champion for considering it too dangerous. Firstly, Marko requested the suspension of the British driver for one race.

Christian Horner, sports manager of Red Bull, for his part, declared at the conclusion of the GP that they would study all legal repercussions of the accident. 

Now, 48 hours after the crash, Red Bull has kept its word. The World Championship leaders have put the case in the hands of a legal expert who will evaluate “the potential” claims that could be brought against Mercedes and deal with this thorny issue. 

The FIA already found Hamilton guilty and imposed a 10-second penalty on the Briton. That punishment, however, did not prevent him from winning the race. 

Faced with Red Bull’s indignation with the punishment, race director, Michael Masi, came out to explain that the penalty was not higher because the stewards do not take into account the seriousness of the consequences that could result from the action of the offending driver. 

As it was to be expected, the team from Milton Keynes is categorically opposed to this criterion. It is for this reason that Marko considers that the regulations should be changed.

And to argue his case, he recalls how his Mexican driver Checo Pérez received two five-second sanctions for forcing Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) off the track. 

The veteran Austrian manager has compared the two offences to demonstrate that the severity of Max Verstappen’s accident merits a harsher penalty.

“The regulations need to be reviewed, as well as the stewards’ system. Perez gets two five-second penalties for marginal contact where no one flies off. You could have given a ten-second penalty plus drive-through for Hamilton, but they didn’t” – Concluded Makro-.

The crossfire of accusations, however, has only just begun. In part, the animosity was ignited by the hurt caused by Hamilton’s attitude. At the end of the race, an apparently carefree Hamilton celebrated his eighth home win in style while Verstappen was being admitted to hospital.

It was Verstappen himself who, from the clinic, criticised the behaviour of his rival. To make things even worse, the Briton declared in response to a question that he had nothing to apologize for because he had done nothing wrong. 

Things have become so tense that Masi has sternly declared that he will not consent to a possible act of revenge from Verstappen in Hungary in ten days time. To be continued… 

Images: YouTube.