'You know how it is with Max' says Hamilton after latest Verstappen collision

F1

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collided after an early safety car in the 2022 Brazilian GP, with the Red Bull F1 driver penalised for the contact

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Hamilton and Verstappen only had on major battle in 2022... and this is what happened

Peter J Fox/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have once more exchanged heated comments after colliding again, this time at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2021 Formula 1 title rivals Hamilton and Verstappen made contact during a frantic opening to the race, with the Dutchman penalised for his part in the incident, whilst the Mercedes driver recovered to finish second behind team-mate and debut winner George Russell.

“The intention was not there to race,” said Verstappen, who was attempting to pass Hamilton. For his part, the Mercedes driver dismissed the incident, saying: “You know how it is with Max”.

Dicing after a safety car restart – to clean up a first-lap shunt between Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo – Verstappen dived down the outside of the Hamilton heading into the Senna Esses.

The Red Bull was pushed wide as both refused to concede, meaning that when the pair moved into the next right turn, Verstappen drove straight into a gap which was quickly shut down by Hamilton, making a coming-together was inevitable.

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Whilst Hamilton escaped with just minor floor damage, Verstappen’s front wing came off, requiring a trip to the pits.

The Red Bull re-emerged last, with Hamilton fighting back from ninth, immediately passing cars and eventually finishing second behind team-mate Russell.

Verstappen would ultimately come in sixth after refusing to hand back his place to stablemate Sergio Perez, who had let him past in a bid to dethrone the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc (third and fourth in the race respectively).

After the early collision was announced by stewards to be under investigation, Verstappen was then awarded a 5sec penalty for causing an avoidable accident.

2022 Brazilian GP Red Bull Max Verstappen

Verstappen would ultimately finish sixth

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

“I went round the outside and I immediately felt he was not going to leave space so I just went for it,” said Verstappen, speaking to Sky Sports. “He didn’t leave me space so I knew that we were going to get together.

“It cost him the race win. For me, it gave me five seconds. It’s just a shame. I thought we could race quite well together but clearly the intention was not there to race.”

Whilst Hamilton claimed during the race that it was not a “racing incident”, Verstappen grumbled: “Where was I supposed to go?”

The pair collided three times alone last season during their ’21 title scrap, at Silverstone, Monza and Jeddah, with the animosity amounting which each collision.

“What can I say?” said Hamilton when questioned on the crash by Felipe Massa immediately post-race, “You know how it is with Max.”