Verstappen teases Hamilton: “Wasted time? I wanted to let him pass, but he didn’t arrive…”

Always those two When Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen find themselves alongside each other competing for the same stretch of track, the spectacle never fails. The two historic rivals returned to battle for a position during the Miami Sprint and even if only sixth place was at stake, some ‘vibrations’ of the unforgettable 2021 season were relived. The first close encounter between the four and seven-time world champion took place during the first lap, immediately after the start, when Verstappen ‘placed’ his front wheel on that of the Englishman in an attempt to make way. Mission accomplished, but a few moments later the Ferrari driver managed to regain his position. The challenge between #3 and #44 then continued throughout the first half of the Sprint. Verstappen had initially completed the overtaking, but in doing so he sent Hamilton out of the limits of the track and almost into the wall, thus being forced to let his rival pass by again. At this point the couple experienced a moment of apparent surplacement which recalled the infamous clash at Jeddah 2021: Verstappen moved to let Hamilton parade, but the latter seemed not to want to pass. Then, after the exchange of positions was finally completed, Verstappen conducted a final and decisive attack – this time perfectly regular and very spectacular – which finally broke Hamilton’s resistance. Max’s dig After the Sprint, on Sky Sport F1, the Red Bull driver did not fail to take a dig at his rival. To those who asked him if the duel hadn’t made both of them waste time, Max replied piquedly: “I had to let him pass, but he wasn’t coming closer. We lost 4 seconds because he was behind. For what we wasted time, I don’t know what else I could have done in that situation. It’s a bit of a shame, but after that moment, when I had clean air in front, the pace was quite good. There are still many things we need to work on, because the car bounces a lot and this costs us a lot of grip.”

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-03 03:32:00