Verstappen criticized for 'act of revenge': "You can see his frustration"

Max Verstappen concluded the past weekend at the Red Bull Ring by topping the charts in all sessions, but on Saturday, he was involved in two incidents that divided opinions. One of these incidents occurred during the first part of the Sprint Shootout, where Verstappen encountered Lewis Hamilton on his fast lap and subsequently prevented the British driver from advancing beyond eighteenth place.

The incident was not investigated by the race stewards because neither Red Bull Racing nor Mercedes reported it. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was angry afterward, as he believed that Verstappen intentionally sought revenge on Hamilton to ensure that the Englishman, who needed a fast lap time, did not progress beyond Q1. Wolff referred to the incident as a professional foul.

This viewpoint is shared by Sky Sports F1 analyst Naomi Schiff: "It's very clear that it was a professional foul. You can see his frustration. As we understand it, Max (Verstappen, ed.) thought that the lap he had just completed, in which he felt he was blocked by Lewis (Hamilton, ed.), would not be enough to progress to the second part, so he decided that he had to do another lap, and that's why he got in Lewis' way on the first corner," Schiff stated. On the final corner, Verstappen was obstructed by Hamilton to such an extent that the two crossed the finish line side by side, after which Verstappen kept his foot on the throttle, preventing Hamilton from turning into the first corner.

Verstappen risked penalty

Schiff believes that Verstappen took an unnecessary risk: "If we choose to believe that, then I don't understand why he clearly obstructed Lewis coming out of the first corner. I understand the frustration, as you don't want to be held up in your fast lap, but he knows how harshly the stewards have taken action in such cases this season, and he had a lot to lose here," Schiff thinks. "Drivers can sometimes make foolish decisions when they get frustrated, but it's tough for Lewis because his action was not intentional. Of course, he was holding up Max, but it's clear that Max was much more aware of what he was doing." Hamilton ultimately remained without points in the sprint race, while Verstappen won the race with a 21-second lead.