Red bull driver Max Verstappen got annoyed with a reporter for constantly asking questions about Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen and title rival Hamilton collided on the first lap at Silverstone. The collision caused the Dutchman to crash and retire, while Hamilton went on to win the race. There were heated exchanges between Mercedes and Red Bull and their respective fans. The crash was also the subject of intense debate and discussion as to whose fault it was.
Verstappen and Hamilton were present together, speaking to reporters attending the press conference, At the conference, the Red Bull driver was asked a question related to the crash, and he lost his cool.
“Can we just already stop about this? Because we had so many f**king questions about this, it’s f**king ridiculous, honestly. Can we stop about it please?” Verstappen chided journalist Thomas Clarkson.
Mutual respect
Verstappen didn’t mince his words or hold back after hearing Clarkson’s question. Hamilton’s response, meanwhile, was to nod his head in agreement. It is completely reasonable on Verstappen’s part to feel anguish. The pressure of the title pursuit means that is priority, and not the rivalry the media loves to feed.
The rivalry has been class on track as well. Bar the Silverstone crash, they have barely had a heated track incident. They respect each other for their ability. Given we had rivalries like Hamilton vs Rosberg, they could do a lot worse. Indeed, Verstappen said it best when he said, “We are racers. We all race. So of course we’re going to race hard and fair, so we just keep pushing each other.”
Verstappen leads the race for the WDC, although his lead is very slim. The stakes at high in Hungary, and both drivers will want to grab the win. Lewis sits on pole and has the advantage, but there is still all to play for.
Read more: British GP: Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton are talking again after controversial Silverstone race