Max Verstappen received a 10-second penalty after being found guilty of “irregular” braking on lap 37 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton challenged him to a brake test, which led to a collision between the two championship protagonists. The concept is frowned upon in Formula 1, and we’ve seen similar cases in the past.
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At the Jeddah GP, the Mercedes driver tried to gain an advantage over Verstappen by laps on the outside. However, the Dutchman held his position by cutting over the corner. So he was instructed by the race director to strategically hand over the place to Hamilton. His sudden slamming of the brakes surprised Hamilton, however, and the two cars collided. This damaged Hamilton’s front wing, but he still won the race and left the Red Bull behind.
What is brake test?
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Formula 1 is a fast sport, but also a tricky one. While speed drives the sport, it can do just as much damage if the driver is caught off guard. Brake test works this way. The leader sets the pace in Formula 1, but if a driver applies the brakes without a reasonable justification, it becomes difficult for the driver behind, who has to swerve to avoid any contact.
In most cases, however, the driver behind him is surprised during braking tests and a collision becomes the rule rather than the exception. Because of the inherent danger of brake testing, it’s a rare sight in sports.
Famous cases of brake tests in Formula 1
Aside from the consequences and threats, there have still been a few cases of brake testing in sports. The last one is during the Jeddah GP, where Max Verstappen allegedly stepped on the brakes too hard and Hamilton collided with him amid the “confusion”.
“Well, I didn’t get the information so I didn’t really understand what was going on. It was very, very confusing, ”said Hamilton of the incident reported by PlanetF1.
A similar incident occurred at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel accused him of the brake test when exiting turn 15 under the safety car and the two cars came into contact. It got ugly and the German hit him on the side with his Ferrari in retaliation. Vettel was fined by the FIA for driving in a dangerous manner.
If we go back in the day, Michael Schumacher accused British driver David Coulthard of having tested him on brakes at Spa in 1998. The German got angry when he met Coulthard during a heavy puff of spray and yelled: “Are you to f ***** * kill me?”
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On lap 24, the leader Michael Schumacher comes on lap David Coulthard, who stays on the ideal line and Schumacher slams into DC’s McLaren-Mercedes. Belgian GP, Spa, August 30, 1998. # F1 (part 1 of 2) pic.twitter.com/ouH7QNoiGc
– F1 in the 1990s 
(@ 1990sF1) August 30, 2021
Later the stewards gave Coulthard a clean slip of paper. He accepted that the fall was his fault because it lifted to let it pass in a heavy spray.
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Brake tests are condemned in the motorsport world for the right reasons and in any case they must be avoided by drivers not only for the safety of their own car, but also for other drivers.
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The post Explained: The controversies behind brake tests in Formula 1 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
