Since it returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2014, the Austrian Grand Prix has been home to some incredible racing and highly controversial moments.
In 2024, for instance, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided, a repeat of which at the 2025 edition of the race could see the Red Bull driver exceed 12 penalty points for the year and be handed a race ban.
This hasn’t been the only collision to grace the Red Bull Ring, however.
Perhaps most famously, the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg came together on the final lap of the 2016 Grand Prix, leading their team principal, Toto Wolff, to summarise the incident with a brilliantly blunt one-word answer.
‘Brainless!’ – Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s collision
As had been the case since the change of regulations in 2014, the 2016 Formula 1 season consisted of another intense battle between Hamilton and Rosberg for the Drivers’ Championship.
Unlike the previous two campaigns, it was Rosberg who had the edge for much of the season by virtue of his electric start, in which the German driver won the first four races.
Leaving his teammate playing catch-up only intensified the duel between the pair.
Indeed, Hamilton and Rosberg had already collided that season, at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, a crash that was justly deemed as both drivers’ fault.
The collision in Austria, just four races later, was different.
Hamilton had qualified on pole and would start five places ahead of Rosberg because of a grid penalty for the German.
However, incidents during the race that brought out the safety car, as well as the slightly different timings of their pitstops, saw Rosberg gain the lead.
He held this until the very last lap, at which point Hamilton attempted an overtake around the outside of Turn 3.
Unfortunately, Rosberg made little attempt to turn his car and make the apex of the corner, meaning he collided with Hamilton as he turned in.
As a result of the contact, Rosberg immediately lost his front wing, allowing Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen to pass him before the chequered flag as the 40-year-old missed out on the podium completely.
Hamilton, meanwhile, survived with no damage to his car, allowing him to cross the line in first place and close the gap to his teammate in the Championship standings.
Yet despite the incident being Rosberg’s fault, Toto Wolff’s immediate reaction was one of frustration at both of his drivers.
Asked by Ted Kravitz in the pit lane for his view on the crash, the Mercedes Team Principal’s first word was, “Brainless!”
After Kravitz asked which of his two drivers Wolff was referring to, the Austrian added: “Well, it doesn’t need a comment. To see both cars collide is upsetting. It could easily have been a double DNF.”
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton disagreed on who was at fault
Giving his reaction to the media after the incident, Nico Rosberg emphasised that he could “dictate” the corner because he was “on the inside”.
As a result, the former World Champion placed the blame on Hamilton, adding: “I was just very surprised that Lewis turned in, and that caused the collision.”
Unsurprisingly, the Briton saw it differently.
Asked by Martin Brundle if “any of the blame can be taken by you for the incident” or if it was all Rosberg’s fault, Hamilton said: “Naturally, as humans, we are biased, [but] I honestly don’t feel as though I am biased right now.
“I went to the outside, I believe I was ahead going in [to the corner]. He was in my blind spot, so I just left loads of room. I left tonnes of room for him to make the corner.
“I got to the white line, I began to turn and boom, big hit.”
In a damning assessment of Rosberg, Hamilton concluded: “I’m pretty sure he hit me, rather than the other way.”
Reviewing the footage, it is hard to disagree with the seven-time World Champion’s assessment.
Indeed, Brundle agreed with Hamilton while commentating on the incident live, stating: “I think Rosberg has only got himself to blame on that one.
“Rosberg, basically, didn’t leave [Hamilton] any room. I will give that 100% [blame] to Rosberg, on that one.”
Fortunately for the Mercedes garage, that would be the last time the two drivers clashed both in that season and Formula 1 more widely, as Rosberg retired from the sport after winning that year’s Drivers’ Title.