Lewis Hamilton played down any controversy with Max Verstappen after the pair clashed during the frantic start of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. The Ferrari driver said he had not seen Max Verstappen alongside him at the first corner and later described their confrontation simply as “a good battle”.
The two rivals came together in a tense opening sequence at the Madring circuit. Lewis Hamilton was fully committed to the inside line, rode the kerb and moved back towards the racing line through the chicane, leaving Max Verstappen with little room. The Dutchman responded by cutting the corner and emerged ahead, gaining a position in the process.
Red Bull tells Max Verstappen to return the position to Lewis Hamilton
With the risk of a potential penalty hanging over the incident, Red Bull instructed Max Verstappen to give the position back to Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen therefore lifted off, but the situation had become more complicated because Andrea Kimi Antonelli was also following closely.
As a result, the four-time Formula 1 world champion had to allow not only Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari through, but also Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen was far from pleased with the team’s decision, something he made clear during his post-race interviews.
Lewis Hamilton responds to Max Verstappen after Madrid clash
Lewis Hamilton’s own race would end prematurely because of a problem with the braking system. Speaking to journalists after his retirement, the Ferrari driver gave a brief account of the opening-lap confrontation.
“I made a good start, I didn’t see Max,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
The setback brought an early end to a race in which Ferrari had hoped to fight near the front, with Lewis Hamilton later detailing the brake problem that forced him to retire.
Hamilton plays down Verstappen’s “Mickey Mouse Race” remark
Lewis Hamilton was also asked about Max Verstappen’s comments after the race. The Red Bull driver had referred to a “Mickey Mouse Race” while discussing the chaotic opening stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Rather than escalating the disagreement, Lewis Hamilton kept his response short.
“To be honest, it was a good battle,” the Ferrari driver said.
His comments made clear that, despite the first-corner confrontation, Max Verstappen’s excursion and the subsequent order to hand back the position, Lewis Hamilton had no intention of turning their latest on-track encounter into a wider controversy.
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