"F1 UFC" - When David Coulthard compared Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen battle to MMA

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has compared Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s intense battle for the world title to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), where there are very few rules.

During the final rounds of the 2021 season, several on-track incidents between the pair further inflamed the controversy surrounding “clean racing”.

When asked about his opinion on the title rivals’ increasingly aggressive driving in recent races on the F1 Nation podcast, Coulthard said:

“Yeah, I think that we look at UFC as far as I know, there's only two rules and it's about below the belt and it's about the eyes everything else goes.”

“This now feels like Formula One has been redefined as F1 UFC and pretty much anything is going and then the stewards are stepping in.”

“I think the standout for me is when Red Bull were given the option (by race control) to give up what was the lead of the (Saudi Arabian) Grand Prix to then take the restart in third. I've never heard anything like that before in my 13 years as a driver.”

There are no clear regulations that define what “clean racing” is or what constitutes a “clean overtake”. There are, however, some sporting regulations that serve as guidelines under which the stewards determine if an overtake is “illegal”.

Throughout the season, vague guidelines have allowed drivers across the grid to push the limits of what is generally considered acceptable. Furthermore, the inconsistency of stewarding between race weekends further exacerbated the problem in one of the most closely contested seasons in F1 history.

At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen went unpunished for forcing himself and Lewis Hamilton off the track to in an effort to maintain his lead. The move was widely accepted to be illegal and against the informal “gentleman’s agreement”, but the stewards refused to even investigate the incident.

Similarly, Lewis Hamilton went unpunished for leaving the track and gaining a “lasting advantage” on lap 1 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Damon Hill doesn’t understand why Lewis Hamilton didn’t yield Abu Dhabi GP lead

Former F1 driver Damon Hill says he doesn’t understand why Lewis Hamilton didn’t let Max Verstappen past after the latter overtook him in “clean move” in Turn 1 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, the 1996 F1 world champion said:

“Lewis had to take evasive action, but actually when you look at that pass, it was a clean pass. Max (Verstappen) was ahead.”

“So, I didn't understand why when Lewis (Hamilton) got back on the track why he didn't give the place back because in a sense really Max got the place.”

“He didn't gain a lasting advantage on that one. That's what he said (to the stewards). But he kind of did because he didn't get overtaken when in fact he had been overtaken.”

After jumping pole-sitter Max Verstappen at the start of the race, Lewis Hamilton snatched the lead. By Turn 6 on the first lap, however, Verstappen closed the gap to Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman dived on the inside line, braked later, and made a clean pass, keeping his car completely within the bounds of the track.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton chose to take the escape road rather than fight Max Verstappen through the corner. By the time he re-joined the track, his gap over Verstappen had increased. Hamilton, however, didn’t let Verstappen repass, as was expected, but rather continued in the lead.