"Cleared from the hospital after all the checks were ok," tweets Max Verstappen on Sunday night; Lewis Hamilton sends his best wishes and says "I will always race hard but always fairly"
Monday 19 July 2021 11:28, UK
Max Verstappen has been released from hospital after being given the all-clear following his crash in the British GP in a collision with Lewis Hamilton.
After hitting the Silverstone barriers in an impact that measured 51G on the opening lap of Sunday's race, the Red Bull driver walked away from the incident and was checked over in the circuit medical centre.
He was then taken to Coventry hospital for further assessment and was released on Sunday night.
"We are pleased to confirm that Max was released from hospital at 22:00 this evening, following a thorough medical examination, without any major injuries," said a Red Bull statement.
"Max and the Team would like to thank the trackside Marshalls and medical staff for their exceptional care both on-site at Silverstone and at Coventry Hospital."
Posting a selfie in which he was smiling next to his father, Jos, Verstappen tweeted: "Cleared from the hospital after all the checks were ok. Thank you to everyone for all the nice messages and best wishes."
In an earlier post on social media, Verstappen had criticised Hamilton for the collision, describing the world champion's driving as "dangerous". He also claimed Hamilton had displayed "disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behaviour" in his celebrations after winning the race.
Hamilton was not initially aware after the race that Verstappen had been sent to hospital and, once told of the latest situation, sent his own best wishes to the Dutchman and said he would message his rival privately.
Stewards ruled that the seven-time world champion had been "predominantly at fault" for causing accident, although Hamilton did not agree with the verdict. He also did not feel he had anything to apologise for.
"At the end of the day I've not really seen the footage. I saw a quick clip of it when I went back to the garage but I naturally will go back and have time to reflect on it," said Hamilton in the post-race press conference.
"I don't think, from my current understanding, that I'm in a position to have to apologise for anything. We're out there racing.
"I heard that Max is in hospital and that definitely concerns me. None of us every want any of us to ever get injured, that's never my intention. So I really hope that he's ok and I'll hit him up after this just to check that he's ok.
"We live to fight another day. There'll be a lot of tough races coming up and we have to learn to strike a decent balance. I don't agree with the stewards, but I take my penalty on the chin and get on with my job.
"I'm not going to whine about it. Everyone is going to have a different opinion and I don't particularly care what people think, I just do what I do and I'm really grateful for today."
In a later post on his social media channels, Hamilton said: "Today is a reminder of the dangers in this sport. I send my best wishes to Max who is an incredible competitor. I'm glad to hear he is ok.
"I will always race hard but always fairly. My team showed grit and perseverance out there. It's a dream to win in front of my home crowd."
Hamilton has slashed Verstappen's world championship lead from 33 to eight points after 10 rounds of the scheduled 23-race campaign, with the Hungarian GP - a venue where the Englishman has won a record eight times - next up from July 30 live only on Sky Sports F1.
