Max Verstappen ‘carrying anger’ with Lewis Hamilton says Daniel Ricciardo

F1: Verstappen and Hamilton verbally spar

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McLaren star Daniel Ricciardo believes Max Verstappen is still frustrated with Lewis Hamilton about their clash at Silverstone. Ricciardo managed to secure McLaren’s first win since 2012 at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix – and his first trip to the top step of the podium since Monaco in 2018.

The Australian seized the lead early on and his job was made that bit easier when Verstappen and Hamilton collided and were forced to retire early. 

After Hamilton clipped Verstappen and sent the Red Bull crashing out at Silverstone, the Dutchman was deemed to be culpable for the incident at Monza.

Hamilton came out of the pit lane and took the inside line, forcing Verstappen wide as he refused to yield.

Verstappen’s Red Bull bounced aggressively off the kerb and landed on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes, with the seven-time world champion saved from serious injury by the halo.

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The 36-year-old was left with a sore neck while Verstappen was awarded a three-place grid penalty ahead of next weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.

There was some level of controversy after the incident as Verstappen appeared to walk away from the wreckage without checking on Hamilton – but Ricciardo insisted it was not what it seemed.

“I know Max, we were teammates for a few years,” Ricciardo told the Pardon My Take podcast.

“That’s him, he is a competitor he’ll leave it on the track and that’s it. I guess he still maybe was carrying a bit of anger or a little bit of frustration from Silverstone. 

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“Maybe that’s why he just said ‘stuff this’ and walked away. I saw him go over his head but then stopped a bit more forward. 

“I think there were things where Lewis was trying to reverse and get out, look I’ve probably already got too involved but maybe Max saw that and thought, ‘okay Lewis is fine,’ but I don’t know.”

The eight-time Grand Prix winner is confident the Dutchman would not have hesitated to come to Hamilton’s aid had the 36-year-old been injured.

Ricciardo, who joined McLaren for the start of the current campaign, also refused to criticise Verstappen for attempting the move. 

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“If we go through an accident and we know the other driver was injured, I’m one hundred percent sure we would all try to help, we wouldn’t just turn our backs,” he added. 

“I don’t think what Max did was stupid, he saw an opportunity and went for it, but it was obviously not the best [manoeuvre].”

Formula 1 returns for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi on September 26, with Red Bull’s Verstappen holding a slender five-point lead over seven-time world champion Hamilton. 

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