At the height of their rivalry in 2021, the common sight of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton going wheel to wheel often filled fans with excitement and trepidation. Although their battles were exciting, on more than one occasion it ended in a crash and a penalty for Verstappen.
But Mercedes’ slump in form over the past 18 months has made those battles less frequent. As Verstappen battled from 15th on the grid to finish second in Jeddah, Hamilton admitted he didn’t even try to hold off the Red Bull, such was his pace advantage.
In the last race in Australia, we had a bit of the old rivalry flame. After seeing his Mercedes team-mate George Russell take the lead from pole-holder Verstappen at Turn 1, Hamilton tried to follow suit at Turn 3 on the first lap. He lunged towards the inside of the corner, causing Verstappen to pull back and give way.
Verstappen quickly claimed on radio that Hamilton had failed to follow F1 rules on overtaking etiquette, suggesting the move was unfair. But he soon settled down and planned a fight.
On lap 12, Verstappen closed in on the back of Hamilton’s car for the lead. Helped by Red Bull’s straight line advantagemoved past for a comfortable, race-winning move.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Verstappen for showing “great patience not to mess up” with the Mercedes cars at the start. “Then it was just a straight fight between Max and Lewis, and he made very short work of it,” he said.
With such a dominant car, there isn’t the same urgency in wheel-to-wheel fights that there once was for Verstappen. Instead, he can play the long game, a sign of his changing approach.
History of a rivalry
The tough 2021 season was one in which the performance margin between Red Bull and Mercedes was so good, their cars so evenly matched, that one moment could often decide a race. The intensity only increased when those moments were collisions.
The first major point came at Silverstone when Verstappen and Hamilton went together at Copse, one of the circuit’s fastest corners. The pair made contact, sending Verstappen on the outside into the barrier at 51G. The marshals ruled that Hamilton was mainly to blame and gave him a 10-second penalty. He would still go on to win the race.
Then came Monza. As Hamilton lined up an overtake at the Turn 1 chicane, Verstappen refused to exit the corner despite being overtaken. He ran over the curb at the exit and into Hamilton’s car. The Red Bull went through the back of the Mercedes, Verstappen’s right rear tire is only kept out of Hamilton’s cockpit by the halo. Verstappen claimed he was not given enough room, but the stewards found him guilty and gave him a penalty.
The penultimate race in Saudi Arabia was also full of incidents. Verstappen twice veered off the track while trying to hold Hamilton back and was told to regain the position. In doing so, he slowed down suddenly, causing Hamilton to hit the back of his car. Verstappen received a penalty.
His luck varied greatly last year. Verstappen dominated the season with 15 wins in 22 races; Hamilton went winless thanks to Mercedes’ slump in form. But still, conflict arose. They clashed again at the Brazilian Grand Prix in the sprint race when Verstappen attempted an ambitious move on the outside of Hamilton at the first corner. The stewards again found him at fault. They awarded a time penalty, with Hamilton later commenting: “You know how it is with Max.”
Verstappen was uncompromising at times in 2021 amid an intense push for his first world title. Even in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, he attempted a first-lap lunge on Hamilton from long range. Hamilton took evasive action and cut a corner, prompting Red Bull to complain to the stewards. The biggest controversy came later on the final lap, when Verstappen overtook Hamilton to win the championship after race director Michael Masi incorrectly applied the restart rules.
But Verstappen often showed until 2022 that he could run hard but clean, especially in his early battles with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. And he did not understand why the accidents kept happening with Hamilton, believing that his approach was the same regardless of who he was racing against. One theory Verstappen had was that it was a generational thing. He had grown up racing karts against Leclerc, so maybe they knew what to expect racing against each other.
The rules of the race
On-track battles offer some of F1’s most exciting moments. But they can also be controversial, especially when adjudicating what he does and doesn’t cross the line in attempting an advance.
F1 drivers have a set of guidelines to remember when it comes to moving forward. When moving inside at the apex, drivers need a “significant part” of their car next to the other car. Each case is different, but usually you need to pull ahead of the rear wheels of the lead car. In outside overtaking, the overtaking car must get ahead of the inside car at the apex to gain space.
In the heat of the moment, Verstappen complained on the radio that Hamilton “pushed me off the track”. Still, the move fits the definition of “tough but fair” perfectly. Although Verstappen was ahead when they reached the apex, it was not a move that warranted a look from the marshals. Verstappen was the car that got ahead, and Hamilton had a significant part of his car next to him.
Hamilton said after the race that he thought the move was “pretty decent”, adding: “I was completely on the inside and I think we both left room for each other. I didn’t run it off the road, and he didn’t turn toward me. We didn’t touch, and that’s a race.”
The lack of interest from the stewards, while frustrating for Verstappen at the time, was something he would take into account from now on. “It’s something to keep in mind in the next few races,” he said.
Playing the long game
Identifying the weak points in the armory of a generational talent like Verstappen is difficult. He is always clear in his belief that there is room for improvement. His life revolves around career and improvement; Free time off the track is often spent on his simulator at home, honing his skills. Already at an impeccably high bar, he wants to keep setting it higher.
Knowing when to pick your battles is an integral part of wheel-to-wheel fights. Verstappen explained after the race in Australia that he was “very careful” and that he “could have been a bit more aggressive” against Hamilton. But he knew it wasn’t necessary: ”I had a lot to lose and they had a lot to gain.”
Unlike in 2021, where a move to attack or defend could decide a race, Verstappen’s pace advantage is such that he can afford to take his time. Losing a couple of positions on the first lap isn’t the end of the world, and moving up doesn’t have to be that dramatic either. There is more room to be careful.
That’s not to say there won’t be moments when Verstappen needs to be bold. After battling off the line for the first two restarts, Verstappen was aware of the need to make the final breakaway on the penultimate lap. More aggression might have been required if he had been slow off the line. Verstappen pulled away cleanly and was clear of the chaos that unfolded behind, leading to another red flag that essentially ended the race.
But with what looks to be the most dominant car of his F1 career to date at his disposal, Verstappen can further refine his approach. It could make a modern grand even harder to beat.
(Max Verstappen photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
