“From Max Verstappen’s side, there always will be hostility”: Lewis Hamilton ‘mic drops’ after taking a cheeky jibe at Red Bull F1 rival

Lewis Hamilton recently took a jibe at Max Verstappen after their on-track tussle at the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP. The seven-time world champion said that the Red Bull star would always show him hostility on the track.

The duel between Verstappen and Hamilton for the final podium spot was one of the highlights of the Hungarian GP. The three-time world champion was putting a lot of pressure on Hamilton throughout the race. The Mercedes driver meanwhile used every defensive tactic at his disposal to hold on to third place.

On lap 63, Verstappen tried to pass Hamilton with an attempt to outbrake and then dive down the inside of the Mercedes. As the seven-time world champion attempted to turn into the bend, the Red Bull driver locked up, so the latter's maneuver backfired. Their wheels collided as a result, sending the Red Bull flying.

Verstappen quickly joined the track, securing P5 at the checkered flag. Meanwhile, Hamilton retained his third position, for a place on the Hungarian GP podium.

In the post-race press conference, Hamilton shared his thoughts on the incident. He explained the entire move from his point of view, saying he was aiming for the corner, while Verstappen's car was coming in at a different angle. The Mercedes star felt that it was a racing incident, but aimed a slight dig at Verstappen, saying that the 26-year-old would always show him some form of hostility.

Hamilton then looked at second-placed Lando Norris, who was smiling at his words. The Mercedes driver smiled back and mimicked a 'mic drop'.

"I mean, from what I can remember, obviously we passed a backmarker. I got to the braking zone, and then Max appeared, to overtake the car behind me [a backmarker], so I moved over to defend," Hamilton said.

"I left enough room in the inside, but Max locked up, and he was going a different trajectory to me. I was going towards...around the corner, and he came shooting across. It felt like a racing incident. And it's easy to make mistakes like that. And so I don't feel there should be any hostility. But of course, from his side, there always will be," he added.

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F1 pundit took a dig at Red Bull after his take on Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's crash

F1 pundit Ted Kravitz took a cheeky jibe at Red Bull for calling Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's collision a racing incident.

Kravitz said on his customary post-race notebook session on Sky Sports that he thought Red Bull would always refer to any situation as a racing incident if Verstappen was at fault. He also detailed his view on the three-time world champion's attempt to outbrake Hamilton when he got close to the latter.

"First of all, they are calling it a racing incident, which is what Red Bull do when it's Max Verstappen's fault. But everyone else is calling it Max Verstappen's fault with the last bit, with outbraking himself, and would have gone straight on had Lewis not turned in. But Lewis did turn in, well, Lewis did not turn in, he was there, and then Max went over his wheel," Kravitz said.

After the Hungarian GP, Verstappen leads the drivers' championship table with 265 points, while Hamilton jumps to sixth place with 125 points after securing third position at Budapest.