No half measures: that’s one of the few things Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have in common. A wary rather than warm respect has always marked their rivalry, which has now taken a potentially darker hue following the dramatic events at the British Grand Prix.
Some have said that their coming together was inevitable. Then again, a former F1 driver told me earlier in the year that this was one rivalry he couldn’t foresee blowing up, because these two had enough sense to avoid a murky path walked most famously by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. But as we head to the next instalment of this previously sizzling, now volcanic duel at the Hungaroring, it’s hard to see how the pair will come back from that no-half-measures collision at Copse.
Nothing between them can ever be the same again. The night after the race, Verstappen bristled on social media that Hamilton’s victory celebrations had been “disrespectful” and “unsportsmanlike”. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was scathing in his criticism, while team advisor Helmut Marko – hardly known for a measured response to anything – called for the eight-time British GP winner to face a race ban. A 10sec penalty hadn’t cut it, especially as Hamilton had then had the temerity to win the race.
In the other corner, Hamilton was more conciliatory. But then he hadn’t hit a barrier at 51g. And it sure didn’t sound like he was about to apologise.
Just as it was when Hamilton carried momentum out of Luffield that sucked him into a move he couldn’t resist (and that Verstappen would also have gone for without a second thought, if the roles were reversed), these two don’t tend to back down. That’s a potentially scary cocktail right now.
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I don't know if you caught or whose Channel you watch F1, but, the media have latched onto this " great battle", seeing, hearing Hamilton getting abuse from the crowds Hungary is aweful, one well known driver said he shouldn't have gone and celebrated with the crowd ar Silverstone because...someone nearly died here today, some of the early comments on the Channel I watched, dropped into commentary about it to,I think media influences people too much.
@Peter Cavellini, of course I talk for myself, so do most people here. Talking about the British GP, about Hamilton and about his rivals and their managers, race does matter, especially when Hamilton participates as a racing driver in the British GP race.You probably know the difference between monologue and dialogue: A monologue is when one person talks to humself. A dialogue is when two persons talk to themselves. I suppose we did the latter here.
@sabre, please talk for yourself, my views aren't as extreme, if any blame has to be given, I'd look at the Media World and how some sections of it enrich shall we say with insightful rhetoric, I'm sure the actual drivers are fed up being branded villains,not nice well behaved persons like you and I, if this sport wants to survive, then, let's move on,we're still talking about the British GP, why, what does this race matter?, I hate for it to be the title decider this season.