There is just something about Interlagos that doesn’t bode well for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Last year the pair had one of their most high profile incidents in what was a fiery season between the two, as Verstappen forced Hamilton off the track while attempting to defend an overtake as the seven-time world champion completed a stunning last to first weekend.
This year sparked yet another talking point between the two greats, as Verstappen was handed a penalty for a collision with Hamilton in the ‘Senna S’ section of the circuit.
The Dutchman went into Turn 1 ahead and had the inside line for the second part of the S, but because it is treated as two separate corners when Hamilton attempted a move around the outside at Turn 2 it was classified as his corner, meaning Verstappen had to yield, which he did not.
READ: Max Verstappen suggests he crashed into Lewis Hamilton to teach him a lesson
Hamilton’s mind was made up on the incident straight away, telling Peter Bonnington over the team radio that it was not a racing incident, and told reporters after the race that it’s just what he expects from Verstappen now, refusing to comment any further.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also had very little to say about the collision after the race, with the Austrian, who was not present in Brazil, suggesting that the incident had little effect on the outcome of the race.
“I struggle to comment on the situation because it’s irrelevant to me at this stage to attribute guilt or to have a judgement call here,” he said.
Verstappen has strangely seemed to claim that he allowed the crash to happen, suggesting that he knew he was not going to be given the space but tried to stick with the move anyway.
READ: Brazil GP: Lewis Hamilton almost inherited race win from George Russell
“To be honest, I went around the outside, and I immediately felt he was not going to leave space,” he said.
“I just went for it, he didn’t leave me space, so I knew we were going to get together.”
While Hamilton continued on to form the latter part of a Mercedes one-two finish without any long term repercussions from the incident, things could have been a lot different for Mercedes as Hamilton admitted he thought he picked up terminal damage from the collision, and George Russell experienced a water leak towards the end of the race.