Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Bahrain International Circuit, 2018

Vettel defends Hamilton over profane Verstappen comment

2018 Bahrain Grand Prix

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Sebastian Vettel came to Lewis Hamilton’s defence when the Mercedes driver was asked about a profane comment he made regarding Max Verstappen.

Hamilton described the Red Bull driver as a “dickhead” when he saw a video replay of his collision with Verstappen while preparing to go onto the podium.

Vettel interjected when Hamilton was asked about his remark during the post-race press conference.

Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain International Circuit, 2018
Bahrain Grand Prix in pictures
“I think it’s not fair,” said Vettel. “I mean, I don’t know what Lewis did. We’ve all been in that situation, we fight someone, we go sometimes wheel-to-wheel, it’s close and you have a lot of adrenalin going.

“Do you think, comparing to football, if you have a microphone on a football player’s mouth, that everything he says is something nice and is a nice message when the guy tackles him and maybe sometimes he fouls him or not?

“So I don’t think it’s justified to give us these kind of shit questions and making up a story out of nothing, if we are just racing and we are full of adrenalin and sometime we say these things. I mean if I hit you in your face, you’re not going to say “oh, Sebastian, that wasn’t nice”. It’s a human reaction.

“Sometimes I feel it’s all a bit blown up and artificial if we have these questions, trying to make a story out of nothing. So, it’s not personal, don’t take it personal. So I think we should cut it right there.”

Hamilton said he “didn’t really remember” the comment. “I think maybe it was when we were talking afterwards.”

“Ultimately, I had a coming together with Max and it was an unnecessary collision. There needs to be a certain respect between drivers. Maybe I need to go and watch the manoeuvre again, but it didn’t feel like a respectful manoeuvre, but ultimately it was a silly manoeuvre for himself, because he didn’t finish the race.

“And obviously he’s tending to make quite a few mistakes recently, so it was just unnecessary for him to do that. I can’t really remember at what stage of the race it was or why we were even in that position, but I don’t really care to be honest.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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91 comments on “Vettel defends Hamilton over profane Verstappen comment”

  1. I know it’s not PC but it’s a sign of passion and emotion and not entirely undeserved either. It would be a shame if the media blew this up for the wronng reasons.

  2. Well said! Sometimes Vettel makes a lot of sense.

    1. Hats off to him here

      1. Really impressed by Vettel how he argued.

        1. Vettel’s comments do make him look like a “good guy” but he’s something of a hothead himself. Don’t forget he is also the one who screamed profanities towards Charlie Whiting over team radio…

          1. Not to mention, acted like a four year old having a temper tantrum in Azerbaijan last year.

    2. Seb is damn right, as was Lewis. Max is a great talent and I understand people are not born experienced but this kid is son of former F1 driver who could help him understand that sometimes you need to abort your moves.

      The way Hamilton started the race is a sign of maturity, knowing he had a better car then people in front of him, he was just avoiding contact before the pack was more settled to start moving up. Max should know that.

      1. I’ve never been a fan of Verstappen’s very aggressive driving style, but I really cannot blame him this time.

        His overtaking move over Hamilton was actually great. And would have been a successful one if it wasn’t Alonso, who braked right in front of him in the middle of the corner, right when the kid was completing the pass.

        1. Edward Nigma
          9th April 2018, 13:14

          “if it wasn’t Alonso, who braked right in front of him in the middle of the corner,”

          So Alonso braked in the wrong place? Where was Alonso supposed to brake? Maybe Alonso should have aborted the brake manoeuvre and just gone straight because there were cars behind him?

          A big part of driving a car on this planet is about estimating gaps, trajectories, calculating what isn’t possible and most important, recognising patterns around you. Like in a game of Chess. To me it seems like Verstappen is still playing Tic Tac Toe, or Connect 4.

  3. It may have been profane, but it’s about the best succinct analysis of Verstappen’s move you’re going to get. Ask Adrian Newey (I guess his own head-in-his-hands version was more elegant, but not much good on a radio).

    1. @david-br

      it’s about the best succinct analysis of Verstappen’s move you’re going to get

      I don’t agree at all. There was nothing wrong with that move.

      It needn’t have ended in contact, but I don’t agree Verstappen is to primarily blame for that as it was the back of his car that got hit.

      Though it was a racing incident Hamilton should consider himself very fortunate it was Verstappen’s car that suffered race-ending damage and not his.

      1. So Hamilton should have driven off track because Verstappen decided to occupy all of it? It was unnecessarily aggressive, intended to pass Alonso, yes, but at the same time ward off Hamilton when he could have allowed space for them both. I’m not saying it was illegal. The point is the collision ended his race, and he can only blame himself for that, not Hamilton for sticking to the track. Sure it’s equally up to Hamilton to accept that he risked staying on track and picking up damage, and maybe he was lucky not to, but my impression was he didn’t expect Verstappen to move right across, hence his evaluation of his driving.

        1. I agree with you on this, right of way or not, he should have left space. Try this move in Gran Turismo Sport and see how far it gets you.

        2. @david-brand

          what if Hamilton had been squeezed by Ocon and Hulkenberg? instead they moved well out of his way.
          He wants the best of both worlds. He’s not doing much to dampen his reputation for being arrogant

      2. While those kind of moves are legal(ish) in f1 I very much hate that they are allowed. In that case verstappen pushed hamilton off the track 100% on purpose (just like hamilton has done the same move countless times). There should not be any nonsense about racing lines. Car next to you = leave space. That simple. Verstappen got exactly what he deserved for a move I consider dirty.

        1. @socksolid It’s only “legal” to push another driver off track if you are on the racing line. Verstappen was nowhere near the racing line. He simply ran Hamilton off track on the opposite side of where the actual racing line was.

          That’s just dirty.

          1. Racing line has room for two cars. Being on the racing line should not be an excuse to push others off the track. The cars have steering wheels so they can leave the space. You can’t push others off the track on straightways no matter who is on where ever on the track, racing line or not. But in corners it is for some reason ok? Nonsense. It is just dirty driving. It belongs into nascar where they can push drivers out of the way and into the walls or spin others out.

            F1 should be no-contact sport. Some wheel banging is ok and sometimes cars touch and racing incidents happen. But using your car as a weapon to push others off the track should be a penalty. Not a cause for celebration.

        2. Drive in some good video game and you will see it from another angle. When you dive in to pass in hairpins, you are turning in at a narrower angle, plus braking in dirty surface later than your opponent. It’s very usual to end up in-out-out through the corner and it’s not very controllable since you are most likely over the tires’ grip limit. The defending driver usually can counter with a cross-over move, but if he decided to go side-by-side to defend, any contact after braking zone is race incident.

      3. @keithcollantine

        It’s ever more clear that you dislike Hamilton, but you see nothing wrong with this move?:
        https://i.imgur.com/6Gx4yXz.jpg

        Nothing at all really? Pffft.

        I can imagine Hamilton saw that footage and realized Verstappen rammed him off track.

        Rosberg got penalized twice for pulling a dirty trick like that. If both had gone through that incident unscathed, Verstappen surely would have gotten a time penalty just like Rosberg did.

        1. It’s really clear from that angle that Verstappen was concentrating on blocking Hamilton, trying to push him off track, rather than trying to set himself up for the next corners to get past Alonso.

          1. And it was so early? Why take such unnecessary risks on lap #2? Max should know better already and Red Bull management is finally taking notice.

        2. When 2 Ferraris drive into him on a straight, Max should lift to avoid a collision. When Max is on the outside or corner 1 and gets hit he is taking to much risk. When Max is on the inside of turn 1 same story.

          Now Max squeezes Lewis and gets hit from behind, and he takes too much risk again

          I know Max is very good, but he can’t fix it all

        3. End of story. I thought rosberg retired.

        4. It’s ever more clear that you dislike Hamilton

          No it’s not. Besides, if https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfkT4QoD0kE was legal, why complain about VES?

          1. Justin (@boombazookajd)
            9th April 2018, 1:25

            exactly @davidnotcoulthard! Hamilton has done this many times, at this track included. Max did nothing wrong, as neither did Lewis. The contact was unfortunate for sure but neither driver was at fault. Lewis could have easily wound up with a broken front wing himself. Max could have also given a bit more space but again, he wasn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before by Lewis.

            I think Max was fine with trying to be as wide as possible and Lewis was right for holding his ground. Fair play all around in my book.

      4. No if you’re going to play the squeeze the other car off the road game (which hamilton has done himself at times) then you take responsibility if the other driver decides not to be pushed around. Hamilton had zero obligation to drive off the road for him Max paid the price for assuming he could, maybe he wont make the same mistake again.

      5. “Lewis should consider himself fortunate”…

        Hence why he called him that, because Max had made the move, Lewis had nowhere to go, but yet he chose to cut in front of him.

      6. @david-br

        So Hamilton should have driven off track because Verstappen decided to occupy all of it?

        Verstappen was ahead, it was his right to put the car where he wanted to.

        @socksolid

        While those kind of moves are legal(ish) in F1 I very much hate that they are allowed.

        I know what you mean and I get the impression a lot of fans feel the same way. But the drivers know how the rules are enforced and if they’re allowed to go to these lengths then they’re going to. Just as Hamilton has in the past – like with his start at COTA in 2015.

        1. @keithcollantine in my opinion, this is a racing incident, however, watch the video again. they were side by side for almost the whole corner, the only time that Lewis actually drops back is when there is either front tyre contact between the two (literally front tyre to front tyre) or very very close to that so it’s indistinguishable on video. Once that occurs you see Hamilton steer away from Max and back out of the move.

          As soon as that happens Max chops across and hits Hamilton. I don’t think that you can say ‘as it’s the back of Max’s car that gets hit’ he still was the one who drove into another driver unnecessarily. The back of the car argument is rather a blunt tool as there are many many instances where fault could easily be put on the car that got hit from behind.

          Again, I would like to point out that it’s still a racing incident but Max was over aggressive and a bit silly here.

        2. @keithcollantine

          Verstappen was ahead, it was his right to put the car where he wanted to.

          But that’s wrong, Hamilton was actually ahead. Pause at 3 seconds. As I said elsewhere, Verstappen comes flying down the inside on the straight to get past Hamilton but as they come into the corner gets boxed in behind Alonso, with Hamilton having pulled wide to cut back more sharply into the corner. Verstappen would have had to brake more heavily or collide with Alonso, but starts to turn left towards Hamilton, while the latter is still marginally ahead, who then opens space for him (or this happens simultaneously as Hamilton anticipates Verstappen’s manoeuvre to avoid Alonso). It’s a racing incident but fairly wild from Verstappen.

        3. Verstappen was ahead, it was his right to put the car where he wanted to.

          I know the stewards have been all over the place with their rulings, but if there’s one thing that the penalties handed over the years have consistently hammered on is that “the driver ahead has a right to the whole track” is not accepted policy.

        4. @keithcollantine

          Verstappen was ahead

          Nope, he was about a wheel behind Hamilton just before the corner, and in the braking, and then Verstappen just lost it and started pushing Hamilton off the track.

        5. @keithcollantine I agree with you. This was determined a racing incident. Max didn’t do anything LH wouldn’t have also done and has done several times in recent years. LH decided to hold his position and there was contact. I think we have to be careful comparing LH/NR incidents because several times Nico did in fact go wide to avoid contact because contact between teammates is a big no-no. When Nico did hold his ground and LH got a cut tire from it, the majority of the F1 world wanted Nico’s head for an intentional hit…for intentionally not backing off.

      7. Well at least Verstappen moved progressively and slowly in the direction of the side of the track. Unlike Hamilton who violently chopped Rosberg at that very same corner back in 2014 or 2015. The only thing that saved them was the fact that Rosberg backed off and swerved to avoid Hamilton’s dangerous move.

        Hamilton could have backed out of it and should have. He’s a hypocrite.

      8. @keithcollantine,

        What do you mean it was the back of Verstappen cat that got hit? I think you need to watch it again. They were pretty much even until Max hit Lewis the first time with his front wheel. Then Lewis let him go. It was after Lewis let him go that Max hit him again with his rear wheel.

      9. First, it was overly aggressive. There was no need for it that early in the race. Second, he ran way, way wider than he needed to, because he was trying to out-brake Hamilton (never a good idea). Third, Vettel left Hamilton nowhere to go– if you honestly believe Hamilton was in the wrong, what was he supposed to do? He’s not driving the Mach 5 with Auto Jacks.

    2. @david-br
      I could suggest a few other concise descriptions, but Hamilton’s is less profane.

      That move never had a chance. Like he was going to get past Hamilton and Alonso cleanly without getting boxed in or crashing.

  4. If Verstappen made that comment everyone would have butchered him on these forums. It’s like Verstappen can do nothing right. Hamilton made the exact same move as Max did on Rosberg and everybody loved it and now everyone is kicking Max when he is already down

    1. I think it makes a difference that it’s Vettel defending it, rather than Hamilton – otherwise there would be both the usual suspects vilifying Hamilton, and those defending him in all possible ways, @arnoudvanhouwelingen – I think it’s good Vettel did that, we sometimes see mountains in molehills, and if we want drivers to speak openly, we should not do that all the time and then blame them for it, but just treat them as we’d treat other humans. Verstappen is also sometimes quite ‘bot’, and usually that’s good to hear.

    2. Hamilton made the exact same move as Max did on Rosberg and everybody loved it and now everyone is kicking Max when he is already down

      @arnoudvanhouwelingen +1, although I agree with what Vettel has said here regarding Hamilton’s comment, the reaction I have seen from some fans has not been in line with previous opinions

      1. i don’t know .. i think in general fans either hate Max or love him .. sometime ok the love is too much maybe people defending him a bit to much but some remarks here or on motorsport are very vicious in regards to Verstappen and some people are very excited when he makes a mistake! i am a Max fan but i can see his flaws but still i think he is great for the sport and a real talent. i guess for me it is best to leave the forums for a bit and not feel responsible to be in defense of Max all the time .. it is only hurting me i guess ..

        1. i guess for me it is best to leave the forums for a bit and not feel responsible to be in defense of Max all the time

          @arnoudvanhouwelingen

          Yea… there is the problem. Certain people from a certain place that suddenly came flocking in after Lewis and Nico collided in Spain, and started acting like they knew everything about F1, just because they have a keyboard and voice and no world cup to support their country on and – just like that horrible Louis Dekker (who asked this question the article mentions) need to go as well – many more Dutch people feel like this btw – or need to calm down and not defend him blindly at everything: that is why people are so vicious.
          It just has to stop. In the over two decades that I watch F1 (and you have done too), only the last 2 years are the only ones I avoid calling myself Dutch or hinting that I have a Dutch passport, even on-site, and I know quite a few people that share the same story.

          1. there is nothing wrong being dutch .. if a dutch reporter is asking a stupid question to Vettel or some dutch fans acting crazy in the stands it’s not reflective of you or me or all genuine dutch F1 fans. It is the same when a couple of weeks ago british football supporters misbehaved themselves in the centre of Amsterdam where i live because i know not all english are like that .. in fact i love english people in general .. they are most of the time very kind and have a great sense of humor. So i don’t get it why you should feel ashamed for your country .. to be not too nationalistic is good though but to be ashamed i just don’t get it!

        2. I’m a fan of both Hamilton and Verstappen, both fast, talented, aggressive drivers, and I think it’s great we saw some tousling today. I just think Verstappen risked too much too early on by wanting to make a statement pass on Hamilton – which is what it was, not just get past, but shove him out of the way. Had Verstappen done that two thirds of the way through last season, Hamilton would have probably backed out. This time he showed Verstappen that if they have the same to lose, he won’t.

    3. @arnoudvanhouwelingen Verstappen had pretty much the same to say about Rosberg when Rosberg pulled the same dirty move on Verstappen:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKbQsV1M43k

      1. A bit weird how it’s gone from first HAM to ROS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfkT4QoD0kE , from ROS to VES, and now apparently on Sunday VES to HAM.

        A bit further than weird is that you’re complaining about the latter 2 of the “dirty” moves whilst complaining about people’s “dislike” of HAM. Regardless of whether you’re a fanboy you’ve done a great job of looking like one.

        1. @davidnotcoulthard Yay another one who can’t understand the difference between racing line and the opposite side of the track.

          You’re doing a great job of looking clueless, so I’ll try again to explain.

          All the drivers are turning right to stay on the racing line, but Verstappen keeps going left to the opposite side of the track:
          https://i.imgur.com/6Gx4yXz.jpg

          That is what makes that a dirty move and that’s why Rosberg got two penalties for that move. While he (and others) didn’t get a penalty for simply staying on the racing line.

      2. @patrickl A bit weird how it’s gone from first HAM to ROS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfkT4QoD0kE , from ROS to VES, and now apparently on Sunday VES to HAM.

        A bit further than weird is that you’re complaining about the latter 2 of the “dirty” moves whilst complaining about people’s “dislike” of HAM. Regardless of whether you’re a ſanboy you’ve done a great job of looking like one.

    4. Verstappen’s mistake, simple as that.
      Pathetic year from him. Again saying pathetic things that his teenage fanbase will defend.

  5. Good for Vettel.

  6. Great that drivers express themselves and not just come out with pre programmed robotic lines. Loved Magnussen last year in the pen with Hulkenberg. Verstappen was a bit of a 2 bob.

  7. but there is nothing wrong in the heat of the moment to make these remarks .. what i don’t like is that Hamilton said he didn’t remember saying “that word” in the first place .. of course he remembered .. own up to it .. i think it is just fake!

    1. well he said he didnt remember exactly but that he thought it was after the race when they were watching the replay….which was correct. im not sure what your issue is, i say a lot of things when im angry that i dont exactly remember 10 minutes later

  8. agreed. Lewis should have stood by his comment.

  9. Drivers should always speak their mind. Funny that Lewis “your the best crowd ever” Hamilton did it’s normally he sounds like a PR lady in interviews

    1. It’s you’re.

      1. Yes it is

  10. Brilliant drive today, and brilliant answer

  11. Califormula1fan
    8th April 2018, 23:29

    Racing isn’t Sunday School. Incompetent reporters attempt to create controversy, incite discord, over exaggerate off track contention. Both Verstappen and Hamilton (and Vettel too) believe they can win from anywhere on the grid. They drive to win, and when their egos (and cars) collide, emotions flare.

    Shame on the “fake news” reporter.

    Cheers to “all in” racing!

  12. Another case of Max not knowing the dimensions of his car. I think he genuinely thought he was past Hamilton.

    Vettel did well butting into that stupid journalist’s line of enquiry. Every press conference all he wants to do is stir and get Max into the discussion.

  13. It was another Verstappen’s mistake.
    But do not ever expect that journalists who have jumped on the train to make “Dirty Max” a new “Alonso Super Star” recognize their mistakes.

  14. I think Verstappen did not need to try and push Hamilton out wide, he had plenty of space on the inside, a very poor weekend from Verstappen, I hope he does not end up losing his head like Kyvat.

    1. In fact he did, because Verstappoen didn’t make the overtake stick. Hamilton was still ahead and the next turn was to the left. Which meant Hamilton would end out in front again.

      That’s why Verstappen went for the dirty move to block Hamilton and drive all the way to the opposite side of the track.

      It really was the only way to make the overtake stick. Dirty move, but it does work. Although he would surely have gotten a penalty for it. Rosberg did the same twice in 2016 and in both instances he got a penalty.

      It does look a bit like Verstappen’s frustrations are coming out. The car is great and he wants to perform. A bit like the season Hamilton had in 2011 and Ricciardo in 2015. Trying too hard, taking too much risk and ending up in too many incidents which just made matters worse.

  15. There’s nothing wrong with Lewis comment and there’s nothing wrong with Max move.

  16. “Sometimes I feel it’s all a bit blown up and artificial if we have these questions, trying to make a story out of nothing. … So I think we should cut it right there.”

    Wow, good of Vettel to step in firmly like this. However, what was the actual question? Was it about Hamilton’s thoughts on the move/ incident, or was it specifically about the comment he made? It the latter, it’s definitely good that Vettel shut down that line of questioning.

    1. It was specifically about Hamilton’s comment, I think the guy actually repeated what Hamilton said in his question.

    2. Thank you @knewman – then it’s definitely good of Vettel to have interjected, that sounds like the reporter was just trying to stir things up to get a headline/soundbite.

      This is the second time Hamilton has said “I don’t care” in response to a loaded question (the first being grid girls), and it sounds like he’s keeping some of his opinions to himself. A smart move, given the tendency for his past comments to be blown up into headlines (but a shame as well because Hamilton is one of those drivers who does give some nice comments).

  17. What Hamilton said was nothing compared to to sewage flying outta my mouth last week when some d@#&head ran me off I-76!

    Total stand-up move by Vettel to jump in on that question like that. If journalists continue to poke and prod at the remaining little bursts of humanity we get from drivers during the races, then the drivers will close up completely.

    The “candid” mic in the podium prep room is one of my favorite things about post-race. You get to see competitors who are friendly with one another discuss and give us a fantastic perspective on race events, and you get to see competitors who are not so friendly throw hats at each other! Lets not lose that in the pursuit to generate clickbait headlines.

  18. I remember people blaming vettel because verstappen chopped his frontera wing in Canadá… Now theyre blaming verstappen because their hero could have suffered damage … Ahh the double standard lol

    Anyway.. Im glad karma is doing its thing with max

    1. Truer words haven’t been spoken. Thumbs up

    2. @j3d89 Completely different situation. Verstappen was ahead in Canada and therefore had the rights to the racing line. Vettel should have yielded.

      In this case Verstapen did not go for the racing line at all. He simply didn’t steer into the corner and went straight to the outside of the corner. Just like Rosberg did in Hockenheim 2016 and Austria 2016. Rosberg got a penalty in both those cases.

      In Canada Verstappen did nothing wrong, but in this case he did.

  19. I agree with the stewards’ decision of regarding it as a racing incident, but I also agree with Lewis, and, therefore, I’d shift the blame a bit more towards Max as he didn’t really give any space to Lewis. That corner is wide enough for side-by-side driving, so there wasn’t any need to close the door entirely. ”All the time you have to leave a space!”

    1. @jerejj – very true.

      On a scale of assertive to aggressive, Max tends towards aggressive, and I think the other drivers now have the measure of how to deal with him – don’t back off.

      Half the time it’s one of the other drivers who comes off worse, but half the time it’ll always be Max coming off worse.

  20. Kudos to Seb, that was a class act.

    No form of news/reporting is ever without bias, since it’s human nature to have biases — no matter how much we try to stay neutral. Regardless, it should not stop the media from staying professional and refrain from asking unintelligent/trivial provoking/bating questions.

    These sort of antics by the media (whatever their underlying motive may be) are the things that give ammunition to people like Donald Trump to accuse/label the industry/practice/institution as “fake news”.

    1. *baiting

  21. Have people forgotten the comment Ricciardo made at last years Hungarian GP regarding Verstappen? Ricciardo who is Max’s teammate.

  22. Two things strike me. One: Hamilton has been the most supportive driver of Verstappen, until they actually meet on track. Typical and ironic.
    Two: people here moan about the move, how little space Verstappen left Hamilton once he was past and even remarks that he pushed him off track (which is blatantly untrue). Yet where were they when Hamilton did that to Rosberg umpteen times?

    Good on Vettel, he’s absolutely right about the heat of the moment. Doesn’t make Hamilton any less wrong about the instigator.

    1. @hahostolze Hamilton was still quite supportive of Verstappen. Yet Verstappen really crossed a line here and he deserved that cursing.

  23. When they make “Rush II” in a few years, about the rivalry between VET and HAM, they’ll have VET pummeling this reporter in the basement after the press conference.

  24. Hamilton could have suffered the same damage when he made the triple overtake. But in this case Hullenberg, who was on the outside, gave Hamilton the corner. If Hulkenberg decided not to, it would have ended in the same result as the Verstappen-incident.
    If you’re on the outside and behind the other car, you should give up the corner. Hamilton was just extremely lucky not to have front wing or any other damage.

    1. Look carefully: Hamilton gave Verstappen the corner, it’s just he wanted all of it.

    2. @jesperfey13 In what way was Hamilton behind Verstappen?

      Hamilton clearly was (slightly) ahead:
      https://i.imgur.com/PyF9UiP.jpg

      Hamilton was staying side by side, because the next corner was one to the left and Hamilton would have held on to the position.

      The racing line actually goes to the right from that image. So Verstappen should have moved right also, but instead he didn’t turn in and just kept going to the left till he pushed Hamilton off:
      https://i.imgur.com/6Gx4yXz.jpg

      Instead of actually going for a fair fight, Verstappen pulled a dirty move trying to block Hamilton off. A move which Rosberg pulled on Verstappen in Hockenheim 2016 and Verstappen called it “unfair” when he was on the receiving end:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKbQsV1M43k

      Rosberg got a penalty for this and rightly so. Just like earlier in Austria 2016, where he pulled the same dirty move on Hamilton and also got a penalty.

  25. This is a bit of a storm in a tea cup I think. two professional drivers of high skill get into a bit of a tangle and later words are said, very mild words I might say compared to other sporting events.

  26. No punishment, race incident. So the comment of Lewis was only out of frustration being passed so quickly from somebody who started the race a few places back.

  27. That last paragraph of Lewis’ comment is his signature thing. That’s how he beat Rosberg and Vettel. Lewis is a bit of a rat he will get under your skin.. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s sport psychology. Still I would like to see him win without it. As for anyone he targets: just consider it a compliment.

  28. Race incident after a game of chicken, without any chickens.

    Is Max often overly aggressive? Sure he is! Is Hamilton sometimes overly aggressive? Sure he is as well, but he’s also more experienced, doesn’t feel he need to prove himself in every corner of every lap, of every race. He’s an older, smarter racer.

    Had this move stuck, without any contact, we wouldn’t be debating/remembering it now, or if we did, we would remember it as a brilliant move that contributed to the high entertainment value of this race (it was a very good race). Could Lewis moved off the line to avoid contact? Sure he could, and one could even argue it would be the wisest thing to do, considering he’s in it for the long haul (championship), and this contact could just as easily have been race ending for HAM with a lost front wing, or damaged front wheel suspension, as it could’ve been race ending for VER with a flat rear.

    But if HAM simply moved out of the way, like VER expects people to do, it wouldn’t contribute a whole lot to the “educational program” VER surely needs. VER need to start learning he’s now racing at the front of F1. People are not afraid of him here (or, they probably are, but for the wrong reasons), here, people are not usually gonna run off track to let your dive bombing attempts stick. But in hindsight, as an armchair general, I’d say that’s probably the wisest thing HAM could’ve done at that stage of the race, to make sure he lived another lap to hopefully gather the all important points for the championship.

    VER will never fight for any championship in F1 until he starts scoring consistantly. He can’t continue to be an all or nothing driver. Eventually he will understand this, I’m sure.

    And btw, I cheer for Vettel, I’m neither a fanboy of either HAM or VER, but I enjoy both of them, as F1 wouldn’t be quite the same without them.

  29. BRILLIANT. F1 driver climbs out of his ego and makes a sensible comment regarding another drivers intensity, attitude and approach. All good here.

    And then admonishes press corp., seeking soap opera stories. EXCELLENTE!
    Seb, I thought I knew you, but this is good…

  30. Of course when Alonso makes ‘heat of the moment’ comments under ‘adrenaline’ it doesn’t count and we can all rip into him as being a ‘little baby’

    I also seem to remember Schumacher being lauded as a ‘true racer’ when running people off the track or even squeezing them too close to walls.

    Lewis a bit of a hypocrite having 3 cars move out of his way for that move on backmarkers what Andrew Benson claims will go down in ‘folklore’

  31. The pass may or may not have been ill-considered, Hamilton may or may not have needed to yield further, it’s quite reasonable to watch the video (at any speed) and have very different assessments as to who was “in front” at what point, and at which point that is determinative of fault. I know that “racing incident” is essentially a sporting-rules concept, but isn’t “racing” what we want to see? I do think Max seems particularly disinclined to learn from mistakes, or to take any responsibility, or to show respect for his elders, but Hamilton drove me to distraction in similar ways in his early years in F1. Also Seb. Also Michael. Also….Also…..Even the most even-tempered and “scientific” drivers get involved in some pretty juvenile stuff on-track. I admit I always lean in to hear what they are saying in that room, but I don’t recall ever gaining a single insight from in. Get the TV crew out of there. And don’t broadcast team radio when it shouldn’t be broadcast.

    1. * single insight from IT

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