Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton would have hit him if he had remained on the track during their dramatic Turn 1 battle at the Madrid Grand Prix. The latest confrontation between the two multiple Formula 1 world champions began immediately after an excellent start from the Ferrari driver and ultimately had consequences for both of their races.
Even at the brand-new Madring circuit, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton found a way to add another chapter to their long-running rivalry. The pair were side by side almost immediately at Turn 1, where Hamilton attacked on the inside after making a strong launch.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen clash at Madrid Turn 1
Lewis Hamilton clipped the kerb during the move and his SF-26 briefly lost its intended trajectory, drifting towards Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Verstappen reacted by cutting straight across the following S-section before retaining his position on the next straight.
What happened afterwards shaped the races of both drivers in different ways. Following a lengthy discussion with his pit wall, Max Verstappen was eventually persuaded to slow down and surrender the position to Lewis Hamilton in order to avoid the possibility of a penalty.
The situation had become more complicated by then because Kimi Antonelli had also overtaken Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver had moved into third place behind Verstappen, meaning the Dutchman could no longer simply allow Hamilton past without significantly reducing his speed. The changing order can be followed in detail through the F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker.
Max Verstappen initially reacted angrily to race engineer Giampiero Lambiase’s instruction to slow down and place himself behind Hamilton.
“Mate, what the f*** are you talking about? He would have crashed. I mean, what are you talking about? If I’d stayed on track, I’d be out of the race,” Max Verstappen said over the radio.
Despite his frustration, the Red Bull driver eventually followed the instruction rather than risk a possible penalty.
Hamilton brake problem makes position handback even harder
By that stage, however, Lewis Hamilton had begun experiencing brake problems. Max Verstappen therefore had to slow almost to a halt on track to allow the Ferrari to catch him, pass him and restore the order before he could overtake Hamilton again.
The incident became even more unusual because Hamilton was already struggling to control his car properly as the brake issue worsened. Braking had been identified as one of the important technical challenges at the new venue before the weekend, with the Madrid GP brake demands placing particular emphasis on the circuit’s repeated deceleration zones.
Max Verstappen says leaving the track was about survival
After the Grand Prix, Max Verstappen stood by his interpretation of the Turn 1 incident. During the post-race interviews, he insisted that remaining alongside Lewis Hamilton would inevitably have resulted in contact.
“Would I have won without that cut and slowing down? No. I would have taken damage at the start if I had stayed on track, so the victory would have been out of the question anyway,” Max Verstappen replied.
“It’s simple. I just made my move at Turn 1, but Lewis attempted an overtake and hit the kerb; then he suddenly came back onto the track and that’s why I was forced to go off. If I’d stayed there, there definitely would have been contact.”
“So my race could have ended already at Turn 2 and that’s why, given the current situation, I’m happy with where I am.”
For Max Verstappen, therefore, the decision to leave the circuit was not an attempt to gain an advantage but a move he considered necessary to avoid a collision. The subsequent requirement to hand the position back, combined with Lewis Hamilton’s developing brake trouble, turned an already tense opening-lap battle into one of the most unusual moments of the Madrid race.
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