Martin Brundle believes Max Verstappen’s opening-lap encounter with Lewis Hamilton may have cost the Red Bull driver victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, but Verstappen has rejected that interpretation of the race. While the former Formula 1 driver identified the Turn 1 controversy as a decisive setback, Verstappen maintained that his RB22 simply did not have the pace to beat Mercedes or McLaren at Madring.
The disagreement centres on one of the most important moments of the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit. Verstappen was forced through the run-off after Hamilton attacked aggressively into the first corner, before Red Bull instructed its driver to return the position because officials considered that he had gained an unfair advantage by failing to negotiate the chicane correctly.
Lewis Hamilton incident leaves Max Verstappen with costly decision
The opening lap produced most of the race’s significant wheel-to-wheel action. Pole-sitter Lando Norris initially retained the lead, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli attempted an ambitious move at Turn 1. After making use of the run-off area, the Mercedes driver gave the position back to Norris before later going on to win the Grand Prix.
Hamilton was similarly aggressive into the first corner and his move affected Verstappen’s line through the chicane. The Red Bull driver took to the run-off and emerged ahead, believing that Hamilton had effectively forced him off the circuit.
Officials viewed the situation differently and considered that Verstappen had gained an advantage. Red Bull therefore instructed him to surrender the place before a formal penalty was imposed. The circumstances became more costly because Antonelli was also involved in the sequence, meaning Verstappen ultimately had to allow both cars through.
The Dutchman also lost additional time while discussing the situation with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase before complying. The incident, including Lewis Hamilton’s response to the first-corner battle with Max Verstappen, became one of the main talking points from an otherwise relatively subdued race at Madring.
Martin Brundle believes the Hamilton moment cost Verstappen victory
Writing in his post-race Sky Sports F1 column, Martin Brundle identified that opening sequence as the moment that probably denied Verstappen what would have been the 72nd Grand Prix victory of his Formula 1 career.
Brundle explained that Verstappen had driven straight through the chicane because, from the Red Bull driver’s perspective, doing so was necessary to avoid contact with Hamilton. The stewards, however, judged that he had gained an unfair advantage. Brundle noted that Red Bull chose to instruct its driver to return the place before the stewards acted, and by that stage the circumstances meant Antonelli also had to be allowed past.
In Brundle’s assessment, the time and track position lost during that sequence probably proved decisive in the final outcome.
The opening-lap positions and subsequent race evolution can also be placed in context through the ScuderiaFans F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker.
Verstappen says Red Bull never had the pace to win in Madrid
Verstappen reached a very different conclusion after finishing second. Rather than viewing the Hamilton incident as the reason he missed victory, the four-time world champion argued that Red Bull was simply not quick enough to fight Mercedes and McLaren on outright performance.
During the post-race press conference, Verstappen felt he had maximised the available result by taking P2. He also acknowledged that he had benefited from the unfortunate situation involving Norris, because he did not believe he possessed the pace of either Antonelli or the McLaren driver.
For Verstappen, finishing on the podium was therefore a positive outcome, but he maintained that Red Bull still lacked the final margin required to compete genuinely for victory.
That distinction is important because the running order at times created the impression that Verstappen remained part of the fight at the front. According to the Dutchman, however, the picture was influenced by Antonelli spending time behind Charles Leclerc rather than by Red Bull matching Mercedes on raw race pace.
Charles Leclerc played a role in the apparent fight for victory
Verstappen explained that Antonelli pulled clear again once the Mercedes driver reached clean air after being held up by Charles Leclerc. At the same time, Verstappen had Norris behind him and was occupied with protecting his own position.
The Red Bull driver also pointed towards the characteristics of Madring when explaining why the gaps did not necessarily translate into overtaking. His view was that passing became extremely difficult when the car ahead positioned itself defensively in the middle of the circuit, helping to keep rivals trapped even when there was a pace difference.
That assessment fits into the wider discussion surrounding Madring’s overtaking difficulties and planned 2027 corner changes, after the first Formula 1 race at the venue produced limited sustained wheel-to-wheel action beyond the opening phase.
Brundle and Verstappen see the same Spanish GP very differently
The disagreement ultimately comes down to how the race is interpreted. Brundle sees Verstappen’s early loss of time and track position after the Hamilton incident as the critical factor that probably removed his opportunity to win. Verstappen instead believes the later pace picture showed that Antonelli and Norris were fundamentally quicker, regardless of what had happened at Turn 1.
For Ferrari, the episode also formed part of a race in which Hamilton and Leclerc influenced the contest at the front in different ways. The Briton’s opening-corner attack created the Verstappen controversy, while Leclerc later delayed Antonelli before the eventual winner returned to clean air.
The broader performance picture from Madring, including Ferrari’s pace against McLaren and the other leading teams, is examined in the Spanish Grand Prix technical analysis.
What Brundle and Verstappen agree on is that the opening stages played a major role in shaping the race. Where they differ is on the bigger question: whether Verstappen lost a realistic victory opportunity through the Hamilton incident, or whether Red Bull’s underlying lack of pace meant second place was already close to the maximum available result.
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