Lewis Hamilton has hit back at ‘hostile’ Max Verstappen after the Red Bull star pinned the blame on him for their collision at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s car was lifted into the air after he locked up during a bid to overtake Hamilton on lap 63 and clipped his front right tyre.
The Dutchman’s hopes of a podium finish evaporated as he finished fifth for the second time in three races, with Hamilton coming third behind McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Verstappen blamed Hamilton for his lock-up, claiming it was because the Mercedes driver ‘kept turning to the right,’ but now his foe has hit back.
‘We passed a backmarker and I got into the braking zone and then Max appeared, so I moved over to defend,’ Hamilton said.
Lewis Hamilton believes there will ‘always be hostility’ from Max Verstappen after their crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Verstappen had felt that the Englishman was at fault for him going flying through the air
The Dutchman went flying through the air after clipping Hamilton’s tyre, having locked up while trying to make a pass for third position
‘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 he 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.’
It was a stellar result for McLaren, who claimed their first one-two finish since 2021 and Oscar Piastri’s maiden GP victory to close the gap on Red Bull.
While there were tensions over Lando Norris’ seeming initial refusal to let Piastri pass him on team orders, the result puts McLaren 51 points off Red Bull.
Norris himself is 76 points off three-time world champion Verstappen with 11 races remaining.
Verstappen, winless in three races, had vented his frustrations over Hamilton following their skirmish.
Attacking from a long way back, Verstappen had attempted to overtake Hamilton into turn one but ended up clipping the Mercedes driver’s right front tyre and went flying through the air.
Verstappen had attempted to overtake Hamilton but ended up spinning off course
The Red Bull star was fuming throughout the race and was critical of Red Bull’s strategy
Verstappen’s hopes of securing a top-three finish ended after the collision on lap 63
As a result of the smash, Verstappen ended up going off the track and losing momentum
‘I went for a move that was fully on,’ he said.
‘But then in the middle of the braking zone – when I’m already committed to the move – he suddenly just keeps moving right.
‘If I wouldn’t have turned while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. So naturally I lock up because he just keeps on turning to the right.
‘People always made a lot about what happened in Austria and what was not correct, blah blah blah, but that’s on the initial move and then you just brake straight.
‘I felt like now was not on the initial move but afterward, during the braking zone he keeps turning right. You cannot do that when someone is committed to the inside.
That’s why I locked up because we would have collided anyway because he turned in on me.
‘At the end of the day, if we would have done a better strategy you’re not in that position.
‘I don’t think that was wrong. I went for a move that was fully on, I don’t think I braked too late.’