Last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix was somewhat reminiscent of the 2021 edition of the race, after Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton once again collided at Interlagos.
In 2021, Verstappen forced Hamilton off the circuit on the exit of Turn Four after going into the corner too fast; however, on that particular day the FIA deemed that it was simply a ‘racing incident’, meaning no penalty was awarded.
Fast forward to last Sunday and the pair were at it again, this time at the opening two corners.
Following a Safety Car restart, Verstappen reacted to the resumption of racing much better than Hamilton, who was in second, and opted to go around the outside of Hamilton at the opening corner.
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Whilst the Dutchman got his car slightly ahead, Hamilton moved back in front as they swept down the hill for Turn Two and therefore took the racing line.
Verstappen remained on the inside of the seven-time World Champion and opted to throw it down the inside of the Mercedes driver, resulting in contact between the two.
Hamilton suffered minor floor damage as a result, whilst Verstappen broke his wing and was given a five-second time penalty.
Opinions were divided on who was at fault for the collision, due to Hamilton having not given enough room, but also that Verstappen went into the corner too fast.
Verstappen’s Team Redline partner, who the Dutchman competes with in the virtual world, was adamant that Hamilton was to blame.
Rudy van Buren slammed Hamilton for not giving Verstappen “space” and labelled the Brit’s move as “s**t”.
“Wow, what a s***** move that was!” Van Buren said on the RacingNews365 podcast.
“People will say I have orange glasses on, but no, not at all. Hamilton is squeezed on the brakes from the outside. If you watch the onboard, you can hear him accelerating in the corner give to drive his car wide.
“Normally he wouldn’t do that and then Max is 80 percent wrong and that’s enough. The rules say you have to sit in front of the middle of your competitor’s car, then you deserve to be given space. And Hamilton doesn’t give that.”
The Red Bull simulator driver added that he believes Hamilton would’ve kept the position if he’d “given room” to Verstappen, but that ultimately he became a “bit of a d**k”.
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“In fact, even if Lewis had given room, he would have held the position,” he added.
“Then they would have come through the corner together and argued on the way to turn four, but that’s racing.
“Max wouldn’t have won that race without that incident. But Hamilton just has something against Max. As soon as he is overtaken in a nice way, in this case from the outside, in turn one – and then you’re already a bit of a d*** in his position – then off together.”