Hamilton had no warning Verstappen was asked to swap places
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin says that Lewis Hamilton had no warning that Max Verstappen had been asked to let him by during Formula 1's Saudi Arabian GP.

The pair had a controversial collision towards the end of lap 38 when Verstappen responded to a message from his Red Bull team to let Hamilton by - a request from Michael Masi in race control - and to do it "strategically."
The Dutchman slowed in an attempt to let Hamilton by before the last corner so that he could gain DRS and thus potentially re-pass immediately afterwards. However, Hamilton made contact with the rear of the Red Bull.
At the moment of impact Hamilton was told by engineer Peter Bonnington "they're asking Max to swap positions".
After the impact, sporting director Ron Meadows, the man with whom Masi communicates during races, called race control and said: "We had no idea he was going to do that."
Masi replied: "Excuse me Ron, I came over and told you that. If you've got other channels going...", to which Meadows replied, "No, no, no, you told me as it happened. I was telling the engineer at the time."
The stewards reviewed the incident after the race and gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty, which didn't make any difference to his second place.
Shovlin said that Hamilton had no prior warning that Verstappen might try to let him by.
"We didn't have time to get on to Lewis and he wasn't expecting it," he said. "And looking at the video in car you can see why Lewis had a problem with it, because Max was right in the middle of the track that is almost exactly three cars wide. He had no way of knowing whether Max was going to left or right.
"Max stayed very central and braked hard, and Lewis was at around 50 bar of brake pressure, and later on the car was on the braking limit trying not go into the back of Max. It was all he could do to stop it.
"It is just not where anyone would expect someone to let them go by, and if you are letting your teammate go by we all know how you do that.
"If you are giving up a position it shouldn't be materially different to that. You have to relinquish the position."
Related video

Villeneuve: Jeddah F1 lead battle was like “rental karting”
The long-term F1 vision causing Haas’s short-term pain

Latest news
Toyota WRC boss Latvala plotting rally return
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala is plotting a competitive rally return with an outing behind the wheel of Toyota’s new Rally2 GR Yaris.
Why Vasseur isn't wielding the axe on Ferrari's F1 strategy team
As Ferrari reflected on the lost opportunities of the 2022 Formula 1 season, it did not take a genius to understand that strategy had been one of its core weaknesses.
Aitken confirms split with Williams F1 to focus on sportscars
Jack Aitken has confirmed that he and the Williams Formula 1 team have parted ways ahead of the 2023 season as he pursues a career in sportscar racing.
Kubica out of F1 as Orlen moves to AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo lands new sponsor
Former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team title sponsor Orlen has switched to AlphaTauri in a move that could spell the end of Robert Kubica’s career in grand prix racing.
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
Why new Williams F1 boss shouldn't avoid 'Mercedes B-team' comparisons
OPINION: Williams has moved to replace the departed Jost Capito by appointing former Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as its new team principal. But while he has sought to play down the idea of moulding his new squad into a vision of his old one, some overlap is only to be expected and perhaps shouldn't be shied away from
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.