Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Max Verstappen realistically fought for the win at the Hungarian GP. However, they both fought valiantly against each other, sending fans down memory lane and back to the 2021 season. The hard-fought battle saw them collide at one point but the Briton holds no grudges over it. He is not sure about the Dutchman, though.
Verstappen’s frustrations began right from the first lap when he felt he was pushed off the track by Lando Norris. Verstappen ultimately had to give up the undue advantage he got as a result to avoid taking a penalty.
That frustration only grew as the race progressed and he went off again while trying to overtake Hamilton. In the second attempt, Verstappen’s rear went airborne after the collision with Hamilton, who was turning into the corner.
Describing what happened in the post-race press conference, the seven-time champion said, “From what I can remember, I passed a backmarker. I got to the braking zone and then Max appeared to overtake the car behind me. So, I moved over to defend. I left enough room on the inside but Max locked up. He was going on a different trajectory to me.”
“I was going around the corner and he came shooting across. It felt like a racing incident and it’s 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,” he added.
| Lewis: “I don’t feel there should be any hostility but of course from his side there always will be.”
Drop the mic! #HungariangGP pic.twitter.com/1zlAQRtk1t
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) July 21, 2024
Hamilton’s assumption stems from their rivalry that began in 2021. The duo often came together on the track in that season, kicking off a war of words each time. That year marked the first of Verstappen’s three world championship wins.
How Verstappen reacted to the crash with Hamilton
Being the driver who came out worse in the encounter, Verstappen was livid. Not only did he lose the third place to Hamilton but also his P4 to Charles Leclerc who was breathing down his neck already.
The three-time champion felt Hamilton moved under the braking. That is the same maneuver that the Mercedes driver dubbed a defensive move.
Verstappen was already at his race engineer and strategists’ throats for letting Hamilton undercut him after the first stint. Verstappen did not shy away from bringing it up time and again throughout the race, even at times when Gianpiero Lambiase tried to calm his nerves.
Both drivers were called by the Race Director to explain the incident after the race. The stewards, upon receiving a report from the Race Director, decided to take no further action on the incident.
