- Verstappen and Hamilton were involved in a collision at last weekend’s GP
- Neither driver was penalised for the coming together latte on in Hungary
- The Dutchman was in a foul mood throughout the eventful race weekend
Lewis Hamilton took a couple of digs at his old foe Max Verstappen following their collision in the closing stages of last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman’s car was lifted into the air after he locked up during a bid to overtake Hamilton on lap 63 and clipped his front right tyre.
Verstappen’s hopes of a podium finish evaporated as he finished fifth for the second time in three races, with Hamilton coming third behind McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The three-time world champion’s move not penalised by F1 stewards, nor did they deem Hamilton responsible for the coming together.
It’s a decision that the British driver revealed he found ‘really surprising’ ahead of the final race before the summer in Belgium this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton has taken a couple of swipes at his old foe Max Verstappen following their collision in Hungary
Verstappen defended his move and actually blamed Hamilton for the incident. He was not penalised
The Dutchman went flying through the air after clipping Hamilton’s tyre, having locked up while trying to make a pass for third position
‘I was really, really surprised by it.’ Hamilton told reporters. ‘I think already I was very relaxed about the situation. I just said, it’s just a racing incident, let’s just move on. But considering one car was in control, one car was not in control at the time.
‘And if you look at the replay, I’m very, very far from, at the end of the whole move. I’m very, very far from the apex. So, I’ve left, there’s a lot of room on the right-hand side. So, I was very, very surprised.’
Last Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring saw a particularly irate Verstappen, who was clearly unhappy with the performance of his Red Bull and clashed several times with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
F1 fans have become accustomed to the pair’s frosty interactions on race day but things were particularly unfriendly, especially after the collision.
Hamilton disapproved of Verstappen’s approach and urged him to ‘act like a champion’.
He added: ‘You have to be a team leader, a team member. Maybe not so much a team leader but more so just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion.’
Verstappen was in a foul mood for much of the weekend and especially on race day, as he clashed several members of his team
When asked what that entails, the 39-year-old replied: “That’s a good question… Not like it was last weekend.’
Verstappen had actually blamed Hamilton for his lock-up, claiming it was because the Mercedes driver ‘kept turning to the right.’
‘I went for a move that was fully on,’ he said. ‘But then in the middle of the braking zone – when I’m already committed to the move – he suddenly just keeps moving right.
‘If I wouldn’t have turned while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. So naturally I lock up because he just keeps on turning to the right.
‘People always made a lot about what happened in Austria and what was not correct, blah blah blah, but that’s on the initial move and then you just brake straight.
‘I felt like now was not on the initial move but afterward, during the braking zone he keeps turning right. You cannot do that when someone is committed to the inside.
‘That’s why I locked up because we would have collided anyway because he turned in on me.
The collision allowed Hamilton to go on to claim his 200th podium at the Hungary GP
‘At the end of the day, if we would have done a better strategy you’re not in that position. I don’t think that was wrong. I went for a move that was fully on, I don’t think I braked too late.’
Last Sunday’s result saw Norris move to within 76 points of Verstappen in the Driver’s Championship.
