Max Verstappen has come to the defense of his teammate Chris Lulham after he fell victim to a wave of online abuse following a collision during the closing race of the GT World Challenge Europe season in Portimao.
The incident took place during the second hour of the three-hour endurance race when Lulham, at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Verstappen Racing, attempted a risky maneuver on the inside of Luca Stolz from #48 Winward Racing, just after a safety car. The maneuver did not go as expected, resulting in a crash that spun Lulham’s car.
The stewards decided it was an avoidable collision and imposed a pitlane penalty on vehicle #3, which made him lose positions, ultimately finishing in 24th place before Verstappen, in an attempt to climb, finished ninth.
After the race, Lulham received severe criticism and personal attacks on social media, prompting Verstappen to react via Instagram. “It is necessary to address the hate and harassment that Chris has received after the race. Everyone is entitled to their opinion about what happened on the track, but personal attacks are not acceptable,” Verstappen stated.
Verstappen also praised Lulham’s effort during the race, asserting that mistakes are part of the sport. “There is no place for this kind of behavior in our sport or anywhere,” he added.
Despite the difficulties experienced over the weekend, Verstappen highlighted that they had learned a lot as a team. Lulham also expressed his regret for the crash with the #48 and thanked the team for their support in attempting to improve after a challenging qualifying session.
He concluded: “A ninth position in a race that promised more. Apologies to our rivals for what happened and for the discomfort it caused in their weekend.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
