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Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn says he believes Lewis Hamilton did a “better job” than Max Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In his Formula1.com column Ross Brawn gave his opinion on the controversial championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
“It will be tough,” Brawn wrote.
“Neither will give an inch, but we want a sporting competition. We don’t want to step over the line.
“We don’t want this championship to be decided by stewards’ decisions and to end up in the appeal courts or elsewhere, it must end up on the track in Abu Dhabi with the best driver winning.
At the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix it was announced that Verstappen has been voted Driver of the Day by Formula 1 fans, but Brawn says his driver of the day is Hamilton.
“For me, Lewis gets this accolade this week. I think he did the better job. He kept a cool head in the heat of battle, he managed the race impressively, he didn’t make mistakes and he set the fastest lap with a car that had half the front wing hanging off.”
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Brawn also commented on the controversial decisions made by the FIA and race director Michael Masi in the race.
“I’d like to compliment the FIA and Race Director Michael Masi in handling well what was an extremely difficult race. I know some people feel some of the decisions were controversial but I don’t.
“The situation you had with Max and Lewis at the restart, when Michael recommended that Max drop behind Esteban and Lewis, was handled well as the alternative was to report him to the stewards and that could have ended up with a time penalty.
“I think Michael dealt with it pragmatically. This type of discussion goes on several times during a race. If a driver gets by someone or defends unfairly, the Race Director will tell the team to correct the position.
“Some people seem to think Michael was doing a deal. He wasn’t doing a deal. It was simple: you accept the decision of the Race Director, with a known outcome, or it gets passed to the stewards to handle it.
“It was a tricky race and a tricky weekend. We’ve had a lot of challenges here, and I think everyone – the FIA, F1 and the teams – has pulled together to make this event work and it’s been a huge success.”
And looking forward at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Brawn said the fans can expect a spectacular event.
“I’m looking forward to the finale in Abu Dhabi, too, as they have modified the track there, which I’m really pleased about as I think it will present a new challenge to the drivers.
“I think they are going to enjoy it a lot more. The simulations we have done show the new Abu Dhabi is a better racing track with more opportunities for overtaking. I’m keen to see what the drivers say about it.
“Make sure you’re glued to your seats next Sunday as this is going to be exciting,” concluded the Briton.
