Max Verstappen directed a verbal volley at his Red Bull team after being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton following a poorly-timed pit stop in the Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen started the race on pole and did a good job of maintaining his lead during the early stages of the race. Virtual safety cars after Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Mick Schumacher (Haas) broke down and a safety car for a crash by Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) mixed things up to make things interesting.
The defending champion, who came into the Canadian GP with a 21-point lead at the top of the standings, was called in by Red Bull for a pit stop midway through the race. It looked to be a good call by Verstappen’s tacticians and his engineers also got the Dutchman away without too much fuss in the pit lane.
However, as Verstappen rejoined the track, it became clear that Hamilton – who he pipped to the title last year – had a chance of moving into second place. The Mercedes of the Brit went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen’s Red Bull and because he had the inside line, he pushed his rival into second.
The incident prompted an earful for Red Bull’s engineers over the team radio. Verstappen was heard saying: "Why the f*** didn't you make sure I came out ahead?" The Red Bull engineer then simply replied: "Didn't have the pace."
Thankfully for Verstappen the mistake didn’t cost him, with his fresh tyres allowing him to pass Hamilton quickly to retake the lead before he held off Carlos Sainz to win the race.
Following the dramatic conclusion to the 2021 season, which went in Verstappen’s favour, there was much said and written about the rivalry between the two drivers.
But for all the talk of a tetchy relationship, Hamilton insisted earlier this year that the rivalry was purely professional and not personal. “For me and Max, we’re seeing each other in the paddock, things are normal," Hamilton told Sky Sports in March. “We are two individual drivers who have a lot in common in the sense of how much we love doing what we do, driving.
“On the other hand, we’re ruthless. He is ruthless, that’s how you have to be, I would imagine in business but hopefully with a bit of compassion. But we are fighters out there, there are no friends on the track. Some days we get it right, some days we get it wrong, but what’s important is when we get back out, we are human beings and we do keep the respect."
