While it may not be 2021 2.0 in terms of the race for the F1 titles this season, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton retain a deep rooted animosity towards each other, founded in the infamous battle for the championship three years ago. Recently Max revealed his vision was blurred for the second half of the 2021 season following Hamilton nudging him off the track at the high speed Copse corner causing a 50g impact for the Dutchman.

Lewis was penalised by the stewards but came home to claim the race victory regardless of the penalty imposed. Max returned the favour in Monza when he attempted a manoeuvre around the outside of the chicane and ended up with his rear wheel spinning just inches from Hamilton’s head.

Since the epic battle for the title which was decided on the last lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton/Verstappen on track incidents have been few and far between mostly due to Mercedes’ failure to get on top of the new ground effect car design regulations.

 

 

 

Red Bull strategic error

Yet now the Mercedes car is closer to the performance of the Red Bull and without a strategy that sees Verstappen lead from the front  and control the race, the pair are regularly finding the same piece of race track.

Much has been written about the coming together between Lewis and Max in the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, although the consensus appears to be that Verstappen lost control of his car in a desperate bid to overtake Hamilton. The reason for the problem was the usually cool calm and reliable Red Bull trackside team made an error of judgement.

They overestimated the effect of there tyre offset, expecting it to be bigger than it indeed was. On the first round of pitstops they ran Verstappen long creating a 5 lap offset to Hamilton, which proved not to be enough for Max to get an overtake done.

A similar mistake on the second pitstop once again allowed Hamilton the undercut which pitched himself and Max together on track again with the faster Red Bull struggling to pass the Mercedes.

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Stewards agree with Hamilton

The stewards decision was the resulting collision was deemed a racing incident, while Verstappen claimed that Hamilton had moved under breaking. 

“It was clear that Car 1 locked up both front wheels on the approach to turn 1 prior to any impact occurring but missing the normal cornering line for a typical overtaking manoeuvre,” said the official notification from the F1 stewards.

“The driver of Car 44 stated that this was a racing incident, whilst the driver of Car 1 argued that this was a case of changing direction under braking.

“The Stewards do not consider this to be a typical case of ‘changing direction under braking’ although it is our determination that the driver of Car 44 could have done more to avoid the collision. Accordingly we determine that no driver was predominantly to blame and decide to take no further action.”

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Hamilton accuses Verstappen

Without sanctioning Hamilton, the stewards clearly suggest his move was calculated while Verstaopen’s was out of control. Hamilton was keen to put his version of events forward telling assembled media:

“We passed a backmarker and I got into the braking zone and then Max appeared, so I moved over to defend.

“I left enough room on the inside, but Max locked up and he was going on a different trajectory to me. I was going around the corner and we came shooting across.

“It felt like a racing incident and it is easy to make mistakes like that so I don’t feel there should be any hostility but of course from his side there always will be.”

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Lewis has ‘prior’ history

Lewis has proved himself to be no angel over the years and his prolonged on track battles with Felipe Massa were legendary. Six times during the 2011 F1 campaign the pair came together damaging cars in Monaco practice and the race, Singapore qualifying and the race, in Japan and finally in India.

Hamilton didn’t restrict his on track collisions to the then Ferrari driver that year having tangled with his McLaren team mate Jenson Button and Williams driver Pastor Maldonado. The crash with Felipe in India was remarkably similar to the one between Lewis and Max this weekend. Hamilton went for a move up the inside while Massa took the racing line turning in of the McLaren mid corner.

This time the stewards decided is was Massa’s fault for turning in, as noted by the stewards in yesterday’s Hamilton/Verstappen affair. Felipe was given a drive through penalty, although a number of F1 writers felt the ‘out of control’ Hamilton was the cause of the incident.

The very fact that Verstappen beat Hamilton in one of the most hard fought and emotional seasons of Lewis’ career will never endear the Dutch driver to the Englishman. Yet Hamilton stokes the fires of controversy again by generalising that Max is a perpetual “hostile” character.

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Mercedes improvements mean more to come

As Red Bull become more consumed by the chasing field, expect the war of words to increase, particularly when Hamilton is finishing ahead of his arch rival as he has done in the last three Grand Prix weekends.

Yet these days Lewis is the master of the media as in the media bull pen after the chequered flag at the Hungaroring, Hamilton was seen approaching Verstappen. The pair grabbed a fist clench before Max said, “we’ll speak later.”

Hamilton was asked about the moment and made light of it to Sky F1 when asked what had been said: “Nothing really [was said]. I just broke the ice, rather than walk past him. I though it was the respectful thing to do. I have no problems [with him].”

“I think it was a racing incident. He sent it down the inside and it didn’t work out – and we move on.”

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Marko defends Verstappen rage as Dutchman makes team demands

Helmut Marko has full sympathy for Max Verstappen’s Rumpelstiltskin performance at the Budapest Grand Prix and takes the team to task after confessing that McLaren are “really strong”.

Following Max Verstappen’s tirade against just about everyone and everything in Hungary, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is sympathetic to his superstar protege: “If you know him and the Verstappens, then yes, but not necessarily on the radio,” Marko smiled on ORF about the world champion’s emotionally charged and sometimes angry radio messages.”    READ MORE