Hamilton Verstappen battle has become F1 version of UFC - Coulthard
Hamilton Verstappen battle has become F1 version of UFC - Coulthard
David Coulthard has suggested Lewis Hamilton's battle with Max Verstappen for the F1 title has become the sport's version of UFC.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has become renowned for its 'anything goes' style inside an octagon-shaped cage, with two fighters engaging in mixed martial arts.
Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix turned into F1's on-track version of the sport, according to former F1 championship runner-up Coulthard, as Hamilton and Verstappen engaged in a number of wheel-to-wheel fights that went over the edge.
Verstappen, in particular, was penalised on two occasions for running Hamilton off track and for effectively brake testing the Mercedes driver which led to a collision.
“If we look at UFC, as far as I know, there are only two rules and it’s about below the belt and about the eyes, and everything else goes,” said Coulthard, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast.
“This now feels like Formula 1 has been redefined as F1 UFC, and pretty much anything is going, and then the stewards are stepping in.”
Verstappen and Red Bull "to give it our all"
For only the second time in F1 history - the other in 1974 - two drivers go into the final race of the season tied on points.
It is a winner-takes-all scenario in a bid to become champion, with Hamilton chasing his eighth that would set a new outright record and Verstappen his first.
Reflecting on the year and assessing the race ahead, Verstappen said: "We’ve had a lot of wins and good moments this year, and we’ve been a lot more competitive in general, compared to the years before.
"So as a team, we can be very pleased and proud of what we have achieved this season.
"We are level on points and I know that we as a team are going to give it our all to win this championship.
"This is going to be an exciting race and we want to finish the season in the best way possible."
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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