In Mexico, Max Verstappen made contact with both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who both criticized him sharply.
Actually, the comparison with “Mad Max” was a thing of the past. But after his faux pas in qualifying and the two Mercedes incidences, Max Verstappen is back in focus for his image as ‘infant terrible.’
The alleged relapse into old times has its origin on Saturday in qualifying. Although the Valtteri Bottas crashed into the walls with a heavy impact, the Red Bull star continued to pull through. Despite yellow flags.
For world champion Lewis Hamilton a no-go:
“That he hasn’t seen the yellow flags isn’t a good excuse. He saw the flags and decided not to react. Hopefully, the right decisions will be made because all drivers have to learn to respect such things. “
On Sunday, their debate seemingly continued on the track. Verstappen gets a better start than Hamilton, pulling through in turn one. The Dutchman is almost ahead of Hamilton, but he lost control of his silver arrow for an instant and made contact with Verstappen in the heat of the moment.
For Red Bull team boss Christian Horner a normal racing accident:
“Lewis lost the rear and both landed in the grass. For me, it’s just tough racing. I don’t think Max did anything wrong there.”
A view that can be supported by outside observers. Naturally, Hamilton saw it differently:
“I already guessed that Max arrives like a torpedo. As I’ve seen in previous races, I always give him extra space. That’s the smartest thing you can do. “
Afterward, Verstappen made contact with Valtteri Bottas. The Result: a slit rear tire on the Red Bull. Is Verstappen too impatient or just unhappy? Red Bull team boss Horner:
“The overtaking maneuver was already over. Only then he was hit on the corner exit of Valtteri’s front wing. On some days it runs and on other days it just doesn’t work. “
For the Finn Verstappen was over-motivated. Bottas:
“He suddenly appeared on the inside of turn 13. I couldn’t just disappear into thin air. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid the collision.”
But a closer look at the scene also shows: Verstappen used the gap, Bottas close the door as the Dutchman was almost through. Nevertheless, teammate Hamilton finds clear words:
“Some pilots are smart-aggressive and some unwise-aggressive. Some drivers leave more space. For others who are respectful, that’s not the case.”
Verstappen clearly belongs to the second category. Hamilton:
“With Max, it can quickly come to a collision, if you do not give him much extra space.”
But the fact is – and the scenes clearly show that even Hamilton and Bottas aren’t innocent lambs. And a racing accident always involves two.
