Hamilton enjoys duel with Verstappen: "Didn't expect anything less"

Mercedes can smile after the race

The Mercedes driver had been behind his title rival for laps and was looking for a gap. On lap 48 he found it for the first time on the outside of turn four. Hamilton was ahead on the brakes, but Verstappen braked later. However, the Dutchman did not make it to the corner, causing them both to shoot off the track.

"I think I was ahead initially, and I think he held his ground and we both ran out of road. Well, I think he was running out of road, so I obviously had to avoid to go out of road – but I mean, I didn’t think too much of it and obviously I’ll have to watch the replay, but it’s hard battling and wouldn’t expect anything less really. We didn’t touch wheels, which is good," Hamilton is fairly relaxed after the race.

Comparison with Silverstone

"We both, of course, tried to be ahead into the corner and so I braked a bit later to try and keep the position and the tyres were already a bit worn so I was really on the edge of grip so that’s why I think I was already not fully on the apex so then it’s a safer way of just running a bit wide there, so in a way, I was, of course, happy that the stewards decided that we could just keep on racing because I think the racing, in general, was really good today," Verstappen said.

Andrew Benson of the British BBC is not satisfied with that and points Verstappen to the incident at Silverstone. According to him this was a similar incident, but now there was no crash because Hamilton left room. "I don’t think it’s the same," Verstappen replied. "I don’t know what he [the journalist] is referring to. It’s a completely different corner as well, so yeah, there’s not much more to comment, it’s not the same," Verstappen was clear about that.