‘We’re a little bit shocked’ – Red Bull fume after Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen controversy on first lap

Updated 12/12/2021 at 15:06 GMT

“We’re a little bit shocked at that. As you can imagine we’re not best pleased,” fumed Red Bull chief Christian Horner. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were level on points ahead of their showdown in Abu Dhabi, with the Brit leapfrogging the Dutchman off the grid during an eventful opening lap.

Hamilton y Verstappen

Image credit: Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen lasted just seven corners before becoming embroiled in controversy in their title showdown at Abu Dhabi.

The Brit got a supreme start to leapfrog the Red Bull off the grid, only for the Dutchman to lunge down the inside of his rival and force him to take evasive action.

Rather than crash into Verstappen, Hamilton elected to go off track.

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The FIA decided not to investigate the incident, prompting fury in the Red Bull garage – not only over Hamilton not giving the place back, but also that he appeared to gain a time advantage by skipping a corner.

“We’re a little bit shocked at that,” Red Bull chief Christian Horner told Sky Sports on air.

“As you can imagine we’re not best pleased. It’s a total lack of consistency. We’ll focus on the race and we’ve got to do it the hard way.”

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