LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed Max Verstappen after the pair crashed again at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The sight of the Mercedes and Red Bull coming together became a regular feature of last season’s fiercely-contested title fight.
They’ve kept it fairly clean this year with Hamilton unable to keep up with Verstappen until recent weeks.
But old rivalries reared their ugly heads against yesterday as the pair had a dramatic coming together at the ‘Senna S’ turn in Brazil.
Both appeared to sustain damage and lost positions after the crash, with Verstappen forced to pit for a new front nose.
The Dutchman was given a five-second time penalty for the confrontation and Hamilton was again displeased with his rival’s driving.
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Discussing the incident after the race, he said simply: “What can I say? You know how it is with Max.”
Their collision came after a safety car restart as the field was bunched together following Friday’s qualification hero Kevin Magnussen being clattered twice by Daniel Ricciardo.
And further crash drama was to follow as Lando Norris punted Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari into the wall.
Tiptoeing through the carnage was George Russell with the emotional Brit securing his first ever race win.
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But Hamilton and Verstappen were left reflecting on what could have been after the early contact damaged both of their races.
The collision gave F1 fans flashbacks to last year when their championship fight was punctuated by high-speed crashes, dangerous close-range collisions and heart-stopping near misses.
Most notable was their terrifying smash at the British Grand Prix as Hamilton sent Verstappen flying into the barriers at frightening speed on the opening lap.
A few months later the Red Bull driver ended up on top of the Mercedes man’s car after Verstappen misjudged a move at Monza.
The seven-times World Champion would then go into the back of the 25-year-old’s motor later in the season as tensions overflowed during a frantic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
And at the Sao Paulo race last year, Hamilton was memorably forced wide by Verstappen or they would have made contact again.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
