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Honda's Yamamoto 'worried' about Verstappen engine damage

Honda's Yamamoto 'worried' about Verstappen engine damage
© Reuters
Even Honda is weighing into the controversy surrounding championship leader Max Verstappen's high speed crash at Silverstone last Sunday.

Even Honda is weighing into the controversy surrounding championship leader Max Verstappen's high speed crash at Silverstone last Sunday.

When asked by the specialist Japanese outlet As-Web what he will say when he bumps into Toto Wolff in the paddock in Hungary, Honda's F1 boss Masashi Yamamoto admitted: "I would like to say that turn 9 was very tough".

Indeed, Mercedes' Hamilton tried an overtaking move on the inside of Silverstone's almost flat-out Copse corner and tapped Verstappen into a crash that left the Dutchman briefly in hospital.

"In the end, I think it's a racing accident, but the opponent is a person who has won the championship seven times," Yamamoto noted.

However, one argument is that all Verstappen had to do to avoid the collision and safely finish second behind Hamilton was to let the seven time world champion complete the move.

When asked about that, Yamamoto responded: "I think Max thought he was able to stay in front without hitting him. In other words, I don't think Max thought it was ok to collide.

"On the contrary, I think Lewis had more time than to do it on the first lap. And then when he did it with Leclerc at the end of the race, it was not as tough as it was with Max, right?

"I feel like he could have aborted with Leclerc at any time, but with Max on the first lap, it seemed like there was only one chance," the Japanese added.

When told that it sounds like Yamamoto needed to get his feelings off his chest, he continued: "It's just the way it is. If I want to say one more thing, I'll say - it was a tough race, right?"

Red Bull has revealed that Verstappen's chassis is a total write-off, but the extent to the damage to the Honda engine is less clear.

"I just pray that the power unit is safe," Yamamoto admitted.

If the engine is scrap, though, that is another major blow to championship leader Verstappen's title hopes.

"I don't want to think about that," said Yamamoto, "but if it happens, we'll have to think about whether to race with the first or the third engine.

"There are only three engines a year, so it is essential to get it right. I'm worried when I think about the championship battle," he admitted.

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Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
JapanJapan124521
ChinaChina115824
United StatesUnited States1011930
Olympics flagOlympic Athletes from Russia78520
AustraliaAustralia61916
Great BritainGreat Britain56516
Today's Olympic highlights header

Thursday's key events


ROWING
· Comeback queen and super-mum Helen Glover goes for her third Olympic gold alongside Polly Swann in the women's pair final (1.30am)
· There is also a medal on offer for GB pair Emily Craig and Imogen Grant in the lightweight women's double scull final (2.10am)

SWIMMING
· As second-fastest qualifier for the final, Team GB's James Wilby is among the medal contenders in the men's 200m breaststroke (2.44am)
· Alys Thomas takes part in the women's 200m butterfly final, although he faces a difficult task to challenge for the medals (3.28am)
· Caeleb Dressel of the USA has been touted by some as the successor to Michael Phelps, and he has the chance to notch up a fourth Olympic gold in the men's 100m freestyle final (3.37am)

RUGBY SEVENS
· After Team GB's men narrowly missed out on a medal, the women get their campaign underway against the Russian Olympic Committee (3am) and New Zealand (10.30am)

HOCKEY
· It is a Great Britain vs. Netherlands double-header, with the men up first in Pool B (4.15am)
· Most eyes will be on the women's showdown between the two nations, though, as Netherlands - the world's best team - look to gain revenge on GB for defeat in the 2016 Olympic final (11am)

CANOE SLALOM
· Mallory Franklin takes part in the women's canoe semi-final, and will hope to do enough to qualify for the final later in the day (6am-8.45am)

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
· With Simone Biles now out of the women's all-around final, the competition has been blown wide open. Team GB twins Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova are among those taking part (11.50am-2.05pm)

> Today's schedule in full
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