During lap 63 of the Sunday race at Hungaroring, the Red Bull driver went airborne following contact with Hamilton
Given how supreme Max Verstappen’s car has been since 2021, the battle between him and Lewis Hamilton has boiled down to some extent. However, the Sunday race at the Hungaroring witnessed the drivers getting physical on the track during the 63rd lap—an incident that reminded us of the past when such battles between Hamilton and Verstappen were common.
Fortunately, none of the drivers were injured and managed to finish the race without drawing penalties from the stewards of the FIA. While Oscar Piastri won his first-ever Grand Prix, Hamilton finished third, whereas Verstappen slipped to the fifth position.
This moment gives us an apt opportunity to rewind the clock and recall the times when the two world champions crashed into each other.
The Hamilton - Verstappen incident at the Hungaroring during the 2024 F1 race in Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺. pic.twitter.com/FrGSbVNkrT
— Hofner Kinfauns (@HofnerKinfauns) July 21, 2024
2021 was the season when Max Verstappen won his maiden F1 World Championship, and therefore, the season witnessed numerous tussles between him and Hamilton. One of the worst crashes in F1’s history took place during the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone race track, where two drivers made contact at the ninth corner, known as the Corpse.
The contact saw Verstappen going off the track into the barrier and suffering a sideways impact of 51G. Fortunately, he walked away without any injuries. Although Verstappen recently revealed that the accident left him with blurry vision for a while.
FIA awarded a penalty to Hamilton after a thorough investigation of the two drivers’ actions and cars’ trajectories that led to the accident.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton Crash in Monza 2021 This clash adds a dramatic chapter to their ongoing rivalry. 🏁🔥#F1 #ItalianGP #HamiltonVsVerstappen pic.twitter.com/qQQNPXd4I0
— F1 Bulletin (@F1Bulletin) August 31, 2023
Monza, i.e., the Italian Grand Prix, was another race in 2021 that witnessed the two drivers taking each other out of the race. Joining the race from the pit stop, Lewis Hamilton had enough pace and line going into turn one and turn two (chicane) of the track. However, Verstappen tried to go past Hamilton through the chicane, and two cars collided, with Verstappen’s car going on top of Hamilton’s cockpit.
The seven-time World Champion was saved by the Halo device. For the accident, Verstappen was penalised because, as per the FIA stewards, Verstappen’s car was neither fully beside nor ahead of Hamilton at the chicane, and therefore, he should have braked to avoid the incident, but he chose not to.
Saudi Arabia 2021 was the second last race of the 2021 season. During the 37th lap, Verstappen overtook Hamilton by going off track, because of which, he was ordered by the stewards to give the lead back to Hamilton. However, when Hamilton approached Verstappen, the Dutch racer braked erratically, and Hamilton’s front wings clipped as the car got in contact with Verstappen’s rear.
The FIA found Verstappen at fault as he was caught brake testing, because of which, he was handed over a 10-second penalty. While Hamilton finished first, despite the penalty, Verstappen grabbed second place.
Almost a year later, after Verstappen’s controversial 2021 championship-winning season, the Dutch champion and the British veteran collided at the Inter Lagos 2022, showcasing no love was lost between the two archrivals. Going into the first chicane known as the Senna esses, Verstappen had the high and inside line, but his car was slightly behind Hamilton. As Verstappen tried to force through the gap, the two cars collided. The FIA handed a penalty to Verstappen but also stated that Hamilton could’ve given a little bit of space.
