Formula 1 history: when title rivals collide
Schumacher’s World Cup collisions
Schumacher and Hill collided at Silverstone in 1995
That was of course different with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Schumacher collided with Hill in Adelaide in 1994 and Silverstone in 1995. In Adelaide it was clear Schumacher’s mistake: after touching the gang, his Benetton-Ford was struck. The only chance to win the World Cup duel was the collision with Hill. When the Briton started to maneuver, Schumacher closed the door. “I just had to wait for the next corner,” Hill also criticizes himself. The crash a year later at Silverstone 1995 was on his head – he simply drove Schumi into the back of the car, just like in Monza 1995.
The collision between Schumacher and Villeneuve in Jerez in 1997 was punished more severely than ever before a crash before or after: Schumacher was stripped of the runner-up title. Curious: Until then, the two never got in each other’s way, had not a single duel on the track, and never stood on the podium together.
Hamilton has had nine World Cup collisions since 2008
The World Cup duels have become tougher in recent years. The increasing safety of Formula 1 cars and racetracks means that pilots are taking more risks. Lewis Hamilton has collided with his World Cup rivals nine times.
In the hybrid era, the accidents with his teammate Nico Rosberg sparked discussion. In Spa 2014 it crashed for the first time between the two, Hamilton closed the door in Spa, so Rosberg slit open his rear tire. The question of guilt was not entirely clear, but the team whistled Rosberg back. The German was then a tamed lion in the World Cup fight, which only extended its claws again in 2016.
In Spain 2016, the two Silver Arrows shot each other in round one.
In 2016 it crashed twice. In Spain 2016, the two Silver Arrows shot each other in round one. Leading Rosberg defended himself against Hamilton, pushing him to the right of the track, where Hamilton lost control and shot down his duelist. In Spielberg, Rosberg Hamilton drove into the car when the car was about to overtake. He suffered the damage himself because his front wing broke in the process.
Hamilton also clashed with Vettel three times. At the Baku GP 2017, the German felt compelled to brake behind the safety car by the British and complained about a deliberate ramming. In Mexico, the two collided at the start. Likewise in Monza 2018, when Vettel turned as a result of the contact. Both times, however, there was no penalty, both could always continue.
The fact that Hamilton has already collided with his World Cup rival nine times does not show that he is too aggressive. Rather from the fact that he has fought for the title quite often. With everything included…
Hamilton collisions with World Cup rivals
2008 Japanese GP with Felipe Massa
Belgium GP 2014 with Nico Rosberg
Spain GP 2016 with Nico Rosberg
Austrian GP 2016 with Nico Rosberg
Azerbaijan GP 2017 with Sebastian Vettel
Mexico GP 2017 with Sebastian Vettel
Italian GP 2018 with Sebastian Vettel
Great Britain GP 2021 with Max Verstappen
Italian GP 2021 with Max Verstappen