Max Verstappen accused of getting 'REVENGE' on Lewis Hamilton in Austria GP Sprint race

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — Photo: © LAT Images

Austrian Grand Prix

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Verstappen accused of getting 'REVENGE' on Hamilton in Austria

Mercedes team principal accused Dutchman of 'intentional' foul

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 2 July 2023 13:27

Toto Wolff has suggested that Max Verstappen intentionally impeded Lewis Hamilton during the qualifying session for the sprint race in Austria as he accused him of committing a ‘revenge foul’.

During SQ1 in the sprint shootout, a communication mishap by Mercedes led Hamilton to accidentally impede Verstappen in the final corner, as he began a flying lap without the knowledge that the Dutchman was finishing his own hot lap behind him.

The Red Bull driver subsequently seemed to impede Hamilton as the pair went into the first corner.

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While Verstappen advanced to SQ3, took pole position and eventually won the race, Hamilton’s qualifying session for the sprint was ended and he started in P18, making it to P10 by the end of the sprint.

Wolff: It was a revenge foul

The Mercedes team principal discussed the incidents after the session, suggesting that while Hamilton blocked Verstappen by accident, the Dutchman impeding the seven-time world champion was ‘intentional’.

He conceded that the first impediment occurred as a result of Mercedes’ own miscommunication with Hamilton, but said Verstappen subsequently wanted to ‘make sure’ that Hamilton’s lap was ‘ruined’.

Toto Wolff felt that Max Verstappen impeded Lewis Hamilton on purpose

Wolff told Sky Sports F1: "The mistake happened on our side.

"The communication between us and Lewis didn't give him the right information to get out of Max's way.

"I think no one wants to be in anybody's way because if you impede, you're getting penalised, so that was not the aim.

"On the other side, turn 1 was a revenge foul (by Verstappen). It was just to make sure that his (Hamilton's) lap was ruined.

"So one was not intentional, the other one was intentional - but who cares? At the end, we looked at whether it was going to change our race or not…

"But I think they're going to talk about it at the drivers' briefing next week."

Verstappen denies intentional foul

Verstappen rejected the idea that he impeded Hamilton on purpose, adding: "He blocked me into the last corner so I had to brake more and I lost like three-tenths, so that wasn't ideal, I think not correct.

"There were still a few seconds on the clock so I wasn't sure if that lap time was going to be safe so I wanted to continue.

"But ran out of time, space, with the two cars like that, which was a bit of a shame."