Lewis Hamilton Launches Fresh Attack On Max Verstappen And FIA Following USGP McLaren Controversy

Saajan Jogia | Oct 25, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton (44) of Team Great Britain speaks to the crowd during a fan forum before the Sprint Race in the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has launched a fresh attack on Max Verstappen, claiming the driver has always been good at exploiting the grey areas of the regulations which led him to escape a penalty after last weekend's clash with Lando Norris at the United States Grand Prix. Hamilton also called out the FIA for "inconsistencies on rulings, weekend in, weekend out."

While Ferrari stole the show last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas with a 1-2 finish, the true highlight came from the intense clash between Norris and Verstappen. In the race’s final stages, Norris was determined to find an opening to overtake the Dutchman. On Lap 52 at Turn 12, he took the outside line on a left-hander, only to be forced off-track by Verstappen’s Red Bull RB20.

Verstappen also crossed the white line in the process, leading Norris to pass him off the track and cross the finish line ahead of him in third position. However, the FIA stewards issued Norris a 5-second penalty for completing the overtake off-track and failing to return the position. That put Verstappen in third place, followed by the British driver in fourth.

The controversy has spilled onto the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, as McLaren has requested a right of review, aiming for the FIA stewards to reverse the penalty ruling. Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion noted that Verstappen has skillfully exploited the grey areas of the rulebook, drawing from his own past experiences as a victim of such tactics. Speaking to the media, he said:

"It's always been a grey area.

"That's why he's [Verstappen] got away with it for so long.

"I experienced it many times with Max. You shouldn't be able to just launch the car up the inside and be ahead and then go off, and still hold the position."

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton compared the USGP incident to his clash with Verstappen in 2021 during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, when the two drivers made contact mid-race as Verstappen tried to squeeze his way through on the inside line, forcing Hamilton to go wide. Though the Red Bull driver suffered a 5-second penalty, Hamilton has asked for a review of the rules to discourage such behavior. He said:

"It's interesting people are talking about it now because the same thing happened to me in 2021.

"If you take Brazil into account, for example, under braking you're ahead but then the car [on the inside] just comes off the brakes and doesn't make the corner and you have to go wide. Then they'll say you both went wide but you had no choice because you had to avoid a collision.

"There definitely has to be something done about it because it's happening a lot now. You shouldn't be able to come off the brakes, run more speed in, go off track and still hold your place."

In addition, the 39-year-old has called for consistency in FIA rulings, emphasizing that Formula 1 needs full-time stewards like other sports where the referees are fixed. He said:

"They [F1 and the FIA] probably need to make some adjustments, for sure.

"Also, you do have inconsistencies on rulings, weekend in, weekend out, obviously depending on which stewards are there.

"As a sport, we do need to level up on all areas. You look at other global sports, they have full-time refs, and I'm sure that wouldn't be a bad thing for our sport."