Lewis Hamilton's three-word message to Max Verstappen after Austrian Grand Prix scrap

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton issued a message to his old rival Max Verstappen after a hard-fought Austrian Grand Prix.

Hamilton finished the race down in fifth while Verstappen managed to claim second, his best grand prix result of 2026 so far.

But arguably one of the highlights of the entire race was Hamilton and Verstappen's fierce battle for second place at the beginning of the grand prix.

For several laps, Verstappen tried to overtake Hamilton into turn three and in the succeeding corners, but each time the Dutchman would get his nose ahead, Hamilton would fight back, desperate to keep hold of that second position.

At one point, the Dutch driver suggested over team radio that Hamilton wasn’t following the rules while defending, asking for a penalty for the seven-time champion, but Hamilton was handed a no further action verdict by FIA race stewards before eventually Verstappen got past him.

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Hamilton and Verstappen's mutual show of respect

After the race, the pair were all smiles as they appreciated the battle that the other driver had given them.

"Good race man," Hamilton exclaimed when talking to Verstappen, before the pair shook hands in the media pen.

The lovely moment was a far cry from their previous battles, particularly during the 2021 season when they were fighting for the drivers' championship title.

Verstappen curses Hamilton battle

After the race, Verstappen hinted that his battle with Hamilton may have prevented him from challenging for the race victory.

Verstappen finished 1.6 seconds behind eventual winner George Russell, and was honing in on the Mercedes driver in the closing stages.

"I was closing the gap even after the battles that I had with Lewis," Verstappen told media after the race. "It was cool, but it made us of course lose quite a bit of time.

"So yeah, every time catching up. But then in the middle of the second stint, something happened with the car on the rear axle, which made me lose pace, and that just stayed there until the end. So that’s a bit of a shame."

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