Red Bull has lodged a petition calling for an official review of the penalty handed to Lewis Hamilton following his collision with Max Verstappen on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton and Verstappen came to blows at Copse corner, with the contact between the two title contenders sending the Red Bull driver heavily into the barriers while his rival went on to win the race despite a 10-second penalty.
The incident was followed by some heavy exchanges between the Red Bull and Mercedes camps, with the Milton Keynes-based outfit's top brass criticizing Hamilton for his "dangerous and unacceptable" move on Verstappen.
Red Bull team boss also put a hefty $1.8 million cost on the damage inflicted to Verstappen's car following the crash.
©Formula1
As a result of Red Bull's formal petition to review the stewards' decision, which has been accepted by the FIA, representatives from Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have been summoned to a stewards hearing which will take place via video conference on Thursday afternoon.
"In accordance with Art. 14 of the International Sporting Code and following the petition for review by Red Bull Racing Honda, lodged on the 23 July 2021, the team manager and such witnesses as the competitor may request, up to three attendees in total including the team manager, are required to appear via video conference at 16:00hrs CEST on Thursday, 29 July 2021."
Last week on Red Bull's website, Horner reiterated his team's belief that the penalty handed to Hamilton for causing a collision was too lenient.
"It is no secret that we felt at the time, and still feel, that Hamilton was given a light penalty for this type of incident," Horner said. "Given the severity of the incident and the lenient penalty, we are reviewing all data and have the right to request a review."
The success of Red Bull's appeal will hinge on its ability to submit new evidence – or relevant information previously unavailable to the officials - that the stewards would consider as admissible.
Should that be the case, a second hearing would be conducted to review the stewards' decision and eventually re-open the investigation into the incident.
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