Max Verstappen was once lambasted by Hamilton for ‘silly manoeuvre’: ‘No respect!’

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Max Verstappen has retired from today’s British Grand Prix after a huge crash as he raced championship rival Lewis Hamilton for the lead. The race was red flagged after Hamilton clipped Verstappen’s rear right. It could have a huge impact on the Driver’s Standings come the end of the season as the Dutchman and the Briton pursue glory.

The captivating battles between the two drivers on the track is cementing their rivalry, which has boiled for the last few years.

In 2018, following the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton was furious with Verstappen for a “silly manoeuvre”.

The two drivers came together on the second lap – Verstappen suffered a puncture on one of his tyres and had to retire from the race.

Hamilton and Verstappen blamed each other for the incident.

Hamilton said: “There needs to be a certain respect between drivers.

“And ultimately… maybe I need to go and watch the manoeuvre again, but it didn’t feel like a respectful manoeuvre.

“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.”

Verstappen disagreed, saying Hamilton hadn’t left him enough room on the corner.

He said: “I had a good run out of the last corner so I went for the inside. Lewis was trying to go around the outside but at one point I was ahe

“I think Lewis still had enough space on the left but I got a touch on the left rear and it destroyed my diffuser.

“I think if it was the other way around he would have said something. From my side I gave him enough room.”

The race proved to be a double disaster for Red Bull, as Verstappen’s then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo was also forced to stop early after suffering a suspected electrical engine issue.

Ricciardo said after the race: “I lost all power, I had nothing.

“Being out so early in a race is really the worst feeling, especially when it’s a night race. You wait all day for those two hours. This sport can rip your heart out, it’s brutal.”

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There is no such heartbreak for Red Bull in the 2021 season, as Hamilton admitted recently that Verstappen is “walking away” with the championship.

But he has maintained he is still “fighting and chasing” to bring himself back in the championship.

He said last week: “They have done a great job in these last four races.

“It has been really difficult for us from Monaco, which obviously was a bit of a disaster, same for Baku, better in France and better last weekend. However, they have taken a step ahead of us.

“So we’re just working as hard as we can to see if there is a way we can close that gap.”

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