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“Disrespectful” and “unsportsmanlike” were two of the choice words Formula 1 (F1) championship leader Max Verstappen penned down in his post-race reaction. After a tussle on Lap 1 with rival Lewis Hamilton sent the Dutchman rocketing into the barriers and out of the British GP, there was no chance the Red Bull star would let his arch-nemesis walk away a free man.
Verstappen was referring to Hamilton’s victory lap at the end of the British GP. The seven-time World Champion soaked in all the adulation from the 140,000-odd fans, who erupted into vociferous applause to celebrate the Briton’s return to the top of the podium.
All of that at a time when Verstappen was in the hospital, while Red Bull also had to deal with a miserable day in the office for Sergio Perez, who finished a lowly P16 after three stops.
While Hamilton scooped up 25 important points and reduced the deficit for the Drivers’ World Championship to just eight points, his win was just an aftertaste in the grander scheme of things.
If nothing else, with Verstappen leaving his mangled car, gathering enough energy to manage a small wave to the Silverstone crowd and walking into an ambulance - all of it without a smile or a frown - the marker has been laid for a fiery exoskeleton to the existing rivalry.
Whose fault was it?
Prima facie, it’s tough to pin the blame on either of the drivers, and it wouldn’t be wrong if someone labeled it a "racing incident" and continued with their regular life. That said, though, this is Formula1, and there’s absolutely no room for excuses or to play it safe.
For those who found the means to do something else rather than fixate their eyes on the Silverstone chapter of the Verstappen v Hamilton battle, here's a recap - while feeling sorry for missing out on the live action.
The duo went wheel to wheel and even overtook each other a couple of times on the opening lap, sending the crowd into a tizzy early on.
While both drivers' avidity for the lead did curate some nail-biting moments, eventually, Verstappen’s adventurous and aggressive maneuver from the outside proved too costly. Zooming in towards the high-speed corner down to Copse, Hamilton’s left-front tire tagged Verstappen’s right-rear, sending the Dutchman spinning away from the track.
While the jury’s still out on whether Hamilton should have maintained the inside of the racing line or Verstappen is to be blamed for his aggression, the FIA, in their ruling, slapped Hamilton with a 10-second penalty.
And while that 10-second penalty did not stop Hamilton from putting up a stellar recovery to quell Ferrari and Charles Leclerc’s dreams of a Silverstone win, another Briton in the Red Bull garage was seething in frustration.
Another chapter added to the Horner-Wolff saga
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, who could do nothing but watch Verstappen drift away from the track at high speed after the clash with Hamilton, was in no mood to mince his words. The Red Bull team principal said Hamilton made a “desperate move” and tagged it as “dirty driving” while even questioning the Mercedes driver’s tactics on a track on which he’s driven for years.
On the other side of the fence, though, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was rather coy in his assessment. He said “it takes two to tango”, insisting the fact that the duo aren’t ready to give each other an inch is an indication of the hard racing that has been on display this season.
So with Wolff and Horner embroiled in a mini-battle of their own - the former even going the extra mile to call his competitor “a windbag who wants to be on camera” earlier in the season - the verbal squabble only promises to ramp up in intensity as we head to Hungary for the last race before the summer break.
Will we see a new dimension to the Verstappen-Hamilton clash?
Hamilton, who made one half of the incident, was at his diplomatic best, while explaining the jostle for the lead on Lap 1 and opining whether that moment - in some ways - made his win a little less sweeter.
"That’s never the way I want to win a race – or in general, to race – but yes, these things do happen. I just hope he’s OK and I look forward to many more races."
While that elicited harsh responses from Horner, who refused to buy a word Hamilton said and even tagged the win a “hollow victory”, the seven-time World Champion did take a sly dig at Verstappen.
“But when someone’s too aggressive, these things are bound to happen,” Hamilton said, stressing the idea that despite whatever transpired, he will never be “bullied into being less aggressive”.
For much of this season, we’ve seen the duo often herald each other prior to a race or after qualifying - often the go-to tactic used to draw in the forces of jinxing. Even at times when they’ve clinched pole position, saying their rival has “better pace and balance” has been a staple.
But now, we could see the tables turned. Hamilton sent Verstappen bolting into the barriers, forcing him to spend a few hours on a hospital bed. The aggressive racing on Lap 1 could have sent either driver spinning out, and if Hamilton had been the one on the receiving end, a wave of silence or a chorus of boos at the podium would not have been a surprise.
It wouldn’t be a diabolical assumption to say Hamilton probably had fewer supporters in the stands than Verstappen’s virtual advocates (read fans) who were making a case for the Dutchman on social media. Unfortunately, though, there isn’t a trophy or points that exist for ‘most fans on social media’, and so Verstappen failing to get off the mark on the scoresheets at Silverstone will be a long, long discussion.
Verstappen’s challenge to battle the odds in Hungary
We move next to Hungary, where Mercedes will be licking their lips at the prospect of doing the double over Red Bull by taking over in the Constructors’ Championship as well.
Hamilton enjoys an enviable record in Hungary with eight wins to his name, equalling Michael Schumacher's record for the most wins at a single circuit. There are two records that the Briton could potentially break in Hungary - most wins at a single circuit and his 100th career win. And if there’s one thing Hamilton’s done consistently, it’s getting his name penned down in the history books.
Pressure on Verstappen, then, to put the issue to bed rather than dwell on it. While you can certainly bet on Verstappen reassuring his fans of his aggressive best in Hungary, he’d want to get back in the lead and deny Hamilton a chance to script history.
A win for the Briton in Hungary would level the playing field, which would mean Verstappen’s efforts undone and extra work to be put in after the summer break. Or probably even during, which wouldn't be the ideal scenario.
One thing is for sure, though, get your popcorn and drinks ready for the coming weekend in Hungary. With a lot to play for and tensions at an all-time high, there’s no better time to be a Formula1 fan.
