Breaking:Lewis Hamilton held a talk With Max Verstappen Following FIA’s Monaco Gp Penalty he says… read more
“Lewis Hamilton held a talk With Max Verstappen Following FIA’s Monaco Gp Penalty he says… read more
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were seen in a post-qualifying discussion at the Monaco Grand Prix following a dramatic moment during Q1 that led to an FIA investigation. The incident, which nearly caused a collision, saw Verstappen encounter Hamilton’s slow-moving Ferrari while on a flying lap through the Massenet corner.
Initially furious, Verstappen unleashed an expletive-filled outburst over Red Bull team radio as he abandoned his lap, shouting, “**** Whoa! Mate! **** Lewis! Massive impeding that!” The moment sparked an immediate reaction from fans and prompted the FIA to launch a review into whether Hamilton had impeded Verstappen.
However, Verstappen later calmed down and clarified the situation after speaking directly with Hamilton post-session. The Red Bull driver ultimately cleared his long-time rival of any wrongdoing, instead laying the blame on a communication error within the Ferrari team.
According to Verstappen, Hamilton had been misinformed by his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, who told him that Verstappen was on a slow lap. Acting on that information, Hamilton accelerated while taking the inside line to yield, unknowingly placing himself in Verstappen’s path. Verstappen, still at full speed, had to back off, leading to the tense exchange.
Speaking to the media, Verstappen acknowledged that the mix-up was not Hamilton’s fault. “The team just told Lewis that I was suddenly driving slow. So then, of course, Lewis accelerates, which is I think normal, because he thinks that I’m on a slow lap, but I’m clearly not,” Verstappen explained.
He emphasized that his frustration stemmed more from inconsistency in how the FIA applies penalties for impeding incidents rather than from anger toward Hamilton. He recalled receiving a one-place grid drop at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix for an incident involving George Russell, even though the circumstances were unclear.
“At the time, of course, I was like, ‘What is going on here?’ It was quite clear that there was a car in my way,” he said, referring to the Monaco incident. “Of course, I know that it’s not his fault. It’s just the precedent of what they have been using in the stewards room.”
Verstappen emphasized that he wasn’t calling for Hamilton to be penalized. “It’s not like I’m trying to get Lewis a penalty. I know it’s the team’s fault, clearly, because Lewis is normally always quite correct with these things,” he said. “No one really wants to impede anyone on purpose. So, yeah, this was just unfortunate. But it happened.”
Despite the initial drama, the incident ended without further controversy. Hamilton went on to qualify fourth on the grid, just ahead of Verstappen, who secured fifth. Their post-session conversation helped ease tensions, and both drivers appeared to part ways amicably after the exchange.
