Hamilton: Verstappen makes collisions very likely

Lewis Hamilton believes that, when cars are close together in a race and Max Verstappen is involved, that collisions are “likely” to happen due to how aggressive the Dutchman drives.

The Brit went on to win the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, but this came after he and Verstappen came together very early in the race which caused significant damage on both cars. The Red Bull actually came off worse, as Verstappen suffered a puncture which required attention.

While not naming Verstappen, the Mercedes man suggests some drivers work in a more smart fashion than others.

“Yep,” Hamilton said when asked if Verstappen needs to be dealt with differently on the track compared to other drivers.

“I think every driver is slightly different. Some are smarter. Some are very smart, aggressive and some are silly with it.

“Through those experiences of racing with people you give some more space. And others you don’t have to, they’re quite respectful.

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“But Max, it’s very likely you’re going to come together with Max if you don’t give him extra space. So most of the time you do.”

Hamilton does not believe that the collision was intentional by either party, though.

“In my experience, I didn’t have a lot of space to give him extra space,” he explained.

“I don’t think it was intentional or anything like that it was just… it’s a magnet for those kind of things. But nonetheless I managed to keep the car together in a straight line, fortunately.”