David Coulthard predicted Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to crash as the Dutchman hunted his Mercedes rival down at the US Grand Prix.
Verstappen fought back to overtake Hamilton and deny the seven-time world champion his first victory of the season in an enthralling race in Texas. The Red Bull driver, who secured his second world title in the previous race in Suzuka, equalled the record tally of 13 race wins in a single campaign with his latest P1 finish.
But Verstappen did not romp to victory on this occasion after a delay in his final pit stop pushed Hamilton out in front. Hamilton was inadvertently given the chance to end the Mercedes drought with a monumental first win of the season, as he went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen once again.
Last year's dramatic battle between the duo gripped the sporting world, as they competed in one of the most exciting world title races in living memory. This season has been much less competitive, however, with Red Bull leaving Mercedes in their dust with their overwhelming dominance on the track.
But fans finally got to see Hamilton and Verstappen directly go to battle again in Sunday's race, and Coulthard has admitted he was concerned that there could have been a similar collision to the huge crashes at Silverstone and Monza last season.
“I was watching the unfold and I was thinking ‘they’re going to come together, they’re going to come together’ because they did it so many times last year,” Coulthard told Channel 4. "But Lewis is the benchmark, he’s an established multiple champion. Max is just adding to those championships right now."
Unfortunately for Hamilton supporters, the Brit could simply not deal with the straight line speed of Verstappen's Red Bull and lost the race lead with six laps remaining. Verstappen was patient rather than erratic and completed a polished move on the inside of Turn 12.
“It looked like all of the Mercedes supporters, the Lewis Hamilton supporters, they were dreaming, he’d done a faultless race," Coulthard added. "But the Verstappen factor came into play again. An uncharacteristic slow pit stop that will be reviewed and understood, and then Max makes the difference.
“He was able to utilise the speed of his car, but then go wheel-to-wheel again with Lewis. How great was it to see these two wonderful drivers battling the corners and Lewis typically not giving up when he got past into the end of the backstraight.
“He’s freaking fighting back again but in the end the tyres were going and the race pace is just not quite as strong as Red Bull.”
