News Summary
- Max Verstappen says he left the track during his first-lap fight with Lewis Hamilton because the Ferrari bounced off the kerb towards him
- Red Bull subsequently ordered Verstappen to return the position, which also forced him to let Kimi Antonelli back through
- Verstappen was furious with the decision over team radio but later accepted that failing to give the places back would probably have resulted in a penalty
Max Verstappen has explained the incident with Lewis Hamilton that triggered an angry exchange with Red Bull during the opening lap of the Spanish GP, saying he left the track because he believed staying alongside the Ferrari would have resulted in a collision.
The pair were fighting for position through the opening sequence of corners at Madring when Hamilton ran aggressively across the kerb. Verstappen responded by cutting Turn 2 and rejoined ahead of the Ferrari.
The Red Bull driver then passed Kimi Antonelli, temporarily moving himself further up the order, but the team soon instructed him to return the position to Hamilton.
That created an additional complication: Antonelli was now between Verstappen and Hamilton, meaning the Dutchman effectively had to surrender two places.
Verstappen says Hamilton bounced towards him
Speaking after the race, Verstappen explained that his decision to leave the circuit was an attempt to avoid contact rather than an effort to gain an advantage.
“I saw Lewis hit the kerb and he bounced back onto the track quite aggressively,” Verstappen said.
The four-time world champion felt remaining alongside Hamilton would have left the two cars on a collision course.
“If I had stayed there, there was a big risk of contact, and obviously you don’t want that at the start of a race,” he explained.
Verstappen therefore elected to cut the corner before returning to the circuit ahead of Hamilton.
Race control did not immediately issue a penalty, but Red Bull decided it was safer to surrender the advantage rather than risk intervention from the stewards.
Verstappen furious after Red Bull tells him to give places back
The decision prompted an explosive response from Verstappen inside the car.
Hamilton had told Ferrari over the radio that the Red Bull driver needed to return the position. Shortly afterwards, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase informed him that Red Bull believed he should do exactly that.
Verstappen strongly disagreed.
“Lewis almost shunted into me. He was out of control,” he told the team, arguing that he would have been hit had he remained on the circuit.
When Lambiase explained that returning Hamilton’s position would also require Verstappen to let Antonelli through, the Dutchman became even more frustrated.
“Mate, what the fuck are you guys talking about?” Verstappen responded, insisting that staying on the track would have put him out of the race.
Despite his objections, Verstappen complied on lap 4 and dropped back behind both Antonelli and Hamilton.
Red Bull says penalty risk was too great
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies defended the team’s decision after the race.
The team had reviewed the incident and concluded that keeping the position would expose Verstappen to an unnecessary risk of a penalty.
Verstappen himself was more accepting once out of the car.
He acknowledged that refusing the instruction would probably have resulted in a sanction, making Red Bull’s conservative approach understandable despite his anger at the time.
Antonelli was also surprised by the situation.
During the FIA post-race press conference, the Mercedes driver said he initially did not understand why Verstappen had allowed him back through because he did not believe the Dutchman had passed him illegally.
Antonelli only understood the situation when Verstappen explained that he needed to return the position to Hamilton.
Hamilton says it was “just good racing”
Hamilton viewed the opening-lap fight very differently.
The Ferrari driver said he had made a good start and passed Verstappen before becoming involved in the chaotic opening sequence.
Hamilton was subsequently asked about Verstappen’s angry radio reaction and dismissed the controversy.
“Well, that was just good racing,” he said.
Hamilton’s race soon unravelled for an unrelated reason.
The seven-time world champion began experiencing braking problems and retired after only six laps, with Ferrari subsequently announcing an investigation into the failure.
Ferrari has promised a “thorough” investigation into Hamilton’s brake problem, which prevented the Briton from playing any further role in the fight at the front.
Verstappen recovers to second in Madrid
Losing the two positions ultimately did not prevent Verstappen from reaching the podium.
Hamilton’s retirement quickly removed one of the cars ahead, while Verstappen eventually recovered to third before the timing of the Virtual Safety Car changed the complexion of the race.
The Red Bull driver stopped under the VSC and moved ahead of Lando Norris, who had already passed the pit entry when the intervention began.
Verstappen then held off the faster McLaren during the closing stages to finish second behind Antonelli.
The Dutchman admitted afterwards that the result exceeded Red Bull’s expectations and acknowledged that Norris had been unlucky.
Norris has since argued that F1’s Virtual Safety Car procedures “shouldn’t define a race” after losing what had appeared to be a likely victory.
For Verstappen, however, Madrid ultimately produced a second place that had looked unlikely after his opening-lap confrontation with Hamilton — and the two positions Red Bull ordered him to surrender.
FAQ
What happened between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish GP?
Verstappen left the circuit during an opening-lap fight with Hamilton and rejoined ahead. Verstappen said Hamilton had bounced off the kerb towards him and that he took avoiding action because he feared a collision.
Why did Verstappen give two positions back in Madrid?
Red Bull believed Verstappen needed to return the position to Hamilton after leaving the track. Because Kimi Antonelli had moved between them by then, Verstappen also had to let the Mercedes driver through before returning the place to Hamilton.
What did Verstappen say about Hamilton after the incident?
Verstappen said over team radio that Hamilton had nearly hit him and was “out of control”. After the race, he explained more calmly that Hamilton had bounced off the kerb and that he believed remaining on track would have created a serious risk of contact.
