Lewis Hamilton has said he’s happy that the stewards have ‘set a precedent’ with their decision to give Verstappen a penalty following their clash at the Italian GP.
The seven-time world champion praised the halo safety feature on his car for ultimately saving him and protecting his neck during the collision.
“Honestly, I feel very fortunate,” he said.
“Thank God for the halo, that ultimately, I think, saved me, and saved my neck.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been hit on the head by a car before and it’s quite a shock for me because I don’t know if you’ve seen the image but my head really is quite far forward.
“And I’ve been racing a long, long time, so I’m so, so grateful that I’m still here.”
The British driver’s physiotherapist, Angela Cullen, will be working with him to mend his injury after Sunday but he admitted “I will probably need to see a specialist, just to make sure it’s good for the next race.”
“It’s getting tighter and tighter. It definitely feels like it’s getting a little bit worse, as the adrenaline is wearing off, but I’ll work with Ang to fix it. I’ll live!”
He went on to speak about the steward’s ruling and said; “I think I’m ultimately proud of stewards.”
“I need some time to really reflect on it, but I think it definitely sets a precedent, and I think it’s important for us moving forwards, for the safety of the drivers, that there are strict rules in place.”
Chatting after the Grand Prix, Hamilton had explained the collision from his point of view and said; “Ultimately, there’s a point at which you have to concede you’re not going to make the corner and you have to go across the run-off.
“Everyone generally has gone across those kerbs, and I’m not sure why Max didn’t today.”
