The arch-rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen locked horns once again in Hungary and it ended exactly how one would expect. The Dutchman dived on the inside of Hamilton’s car and locked up, which resulted in a collision, with the RB20 going airborne. The battle reminiscent of the 2021 season, sparked a lot of finger-pointing on the radio. However, unlike in 2021, Hamilton broke the ice after the race, instead of extending the animosity.
Hamilton interrupted Verstappen’s interview while walking into the media pen, instead of ignoring and walking past him. The seven-time champion grabbed his arm and shook his hand as the Dutchman said they’d discuss the incident later. The Brit was asked about the little interaction when he explained what was his idea behind the handshake.
As seen on X, Hamilton said, “Nothing really, I mean I just broke the ice, rather than just walk past him. I thought the respectful thing, it’s just that I have no problems. I mean, I think it was a racing incident, he sent it down the inside, it didn’t work out, and we move on”.
#HungarianGP | Lewis Hamilton approached Max Verstappen after the race to “break the ice.”
“Nothing really [was said]. I just broke the ice, rather than walk past him. I thought it was the respectful thing. I have no problems.” pic.twitter.com/ZDVlvAMozu
— deni (@fiagirly) July 22, 2024
Hamilton and Verstappen have come a long way from their cutthroat rivalry from the 2021 season. Red Bull, Mercedes, and even the Briton’s future team Ferrari, will continue to battle each other in F1. However, the two drivers can still maintain mutual respect between them.
Moreover, Verstappen’s late move was probably just a result of his continued frustrations from the race.
Verstappen could not control his anger toward his team in front of the media
The Dutchman was frustrated throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Very uncharacteristically, Red Bull botched their strategy and put Verstappen at a disadvantage to demote him out of the podium places. Not just the strategy, the reigning champion was held back by his usually reliable and quick car as well. Then, it all boiled down to his battle with Hamilton.
However, the problems were evident from the start and so were his frustrations. Verstappen made his fury evident as he suggested that the medical delegate should see the stewards instead of him, after they launched an investigation against him for the collision.
Later, the 26-year-old also highlighted what was the last straw for him. He said, “I was just receiving dumb comments on the radio. Instead of trying to talk to me, maybe admitting it wasn’t ideal…That calms me down as well, but then they are also arguing against me. Then that’s truly my last straw”.
Now, under immense pressure, Red Bull can’t afford to make any more mistakes. They’ve already lost plenty of ground on both championship fronts. With their backs to the wall, the Austrian outfit need to be flawless to defend their titles.
