Max Verstappen called Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton “cheap” for blaming Valtteri Bottas after the Mexican GP.
The start of the race in Mexico was an absolute nightmare for Mercedes. Having started the race on the front row, their lead lasted all of one turn, as Verstappen capitalised on some suspect defending to go from third to first.
Bottas looked to have been in the middle of Hamilton and Verstappen. His teammate had the inside line, and he was sandwiched in the middle. He gave the Dutchman enough space to try and go for a move, which he didn’t need a second invitation for.
After the race, Wolff and Hamilton both suggested that Bottas’ start was not good enough and that it essentially cost them the race. Upon hearing the comments, Verstappen called Wolff and Hamilton “cheap” and criticised them for their comments.
As quoted by express.co.uk, Verstappen told De Telegraaf, “You have to leave a car width of space, otherwise, he would have got a penalty.
“I don’t really know what Toto is talking about. You can very easily blame it on Valtteri, but I think that’s very cheap.”
HAMmered
Hamilton had said earlier that he expected Bottas to do better, but he made it way too easy for Verstappen to swoop in.
“I had envisaged it differently naturally in the sense that Valtteri maybe got a better start and I would have tried to get into his tow but obviously I was alongside him which was good,” Hamilton said.
“I was covering my side of the track making sure that no one could come up the inside so was trying to keep whichever Red Bull I could see in my mirror behind. I thought Valtteri would be doing the same, but he left the door open for Max.
“Max was on the racing line so did a mega job braking for Turn 1 and I was on the inside on the dirt and there was no hope for me,” he concluded.
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