Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour draws unlikely Max Verstappen comparison: “It caught me off guard”. Lewis Hamilton actions create Max Verstappen comparison.

Sébastien Buemi Highlights Contrasting Styles Between Verstappen and Hamilton in Spanish Grand Prix Clashes

Ex-Formula 1 driver Sébastien Buemi has weighed in on the contrasting approaches taken by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the dramatic closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, expressing his surprise at Hamilton’s lack of defense and drawing comparisons with Verstappen’s more combative instincts.

The final laps at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya delivered no shortage of drama, starting with Max Verstappen’s controversial clash with George Russell at Turn 5. Despite being on a slower compound and receiving team instructions from Red Bull to relinquish the position—due to an earlier incident involving the Mercedes driver — Max Verstappen chose not to yield. Instead, the Dutchman maintained track position before colliding with Russell, a move that resulted in a 10-second penalty and three penalty points on his super licence. With this penalty, Verstappen now teeters dangerously close to a race ban.

In stark contrast, Lewis Hamilton opted not to put up a fight when Stake F1’s Nico Hülkenberg attacked on the main straight. Hamilton left the inside line unprotected, allowing the German driver to slip through into Turn 1 with little resistance. That choice proved costly for the seven-time World Champion, who ultimately lost a chance to finish inside the top five. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s aggressive manoeuvre saw him penalized and pushed down the order to 10th place.

Sébastien Buemi, speaking on the RacingNews365 podcast, commented on the divergent mindsets of the two World Champions. He acknowledged that while Max Verstappen was clearly struggling on the hard tyres and had just experienced a slide out of the final corner, the Red Bull driver’s refusal to surrender track position was characteristic. According to Buemi, Max Verstappen’s style is always to resist—even when team orders suggest otherwise.

The Swiss driver then pointed out that he was caught off guard by Lewis Hamilton’s passive response during his battle with Nico Hülkenberg. From his perspective, the Ferrari driver appeared to have an opportunity to shut the door on the inside, but surprisingly chose not to act, allowing the overtake to happen without resistance.

The Swiss racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota, added that Max Verstappen’s determination to fight for every position is well-known and consistent, though the boundaries of such aggression remain a subject of debate. Nonetheless, he emphasized that the Dutchman’s mentality is one of never backing down, which contrasts sharply with the more cautious approach shown by Lewis Hamilton at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.