Hamilton on the duel with Verstappen: “You can’t expect to overtake a champion on the outside…”

A battle between champions On lap 11 of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled for second place. The two champions exchanged positions several times between Turn 3 and Turn 9, with Verstappen several times trying to outwit Hamilton on the outside. In particular, a maneuver at the exit of 6, where Max grazed the gravel, caused an excited radio team from the Dutchman, who had branded his rival’s move as a “net penalty”. This was not the case for the Commissioners, who noticed the incident but did not put it under investigation. Lewis Hamilton’s comment In parc fermé during the interviews, Hamilton personally complimented Verstappen for the duel and commented to journalists: “It was fantastic, a lot of fun.”
However, it was pointed out to the Briton that his opponent had opened up via radio asking for a penalty for his manoeuvre. At that point the Ferrari driver responded tersely: “He went off track. You can’t expect to overtake a champion on the outside. I would never expect to overtake him on the outside in that position and also maintain the line. At the apex of the corner he was at a disadvantage and therefore should have given up,” underlined Hamilton.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-06-29 19:00:00