“F**k Off With That Thing”: Max Verstappen Dubbed to Be Infuriated by Lewis Hamilton’s Ugly Tactics After Messy Turn of Events

The Formula 1 world got to revisit a rivalry that was born (and sadly died) in 2021 during qualifying at the 2023 British GP. And it got just as interesting as it was in 2021—Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen. After the 2022 regulation changes, Red Bull built a car—in both 2022 and 2023—that Mercedes hasn’t come close to competing with, even at Silverstone, which has been a Mercedes stronghold in the past. But that didn’t stop Hamilton from butting heads with his old rival.

Qualifying at Silverstone was almost like a repeat of the 2019 Italian GP in Monza, where none of the 10 drivers in Q3 got the chance to put in a second flying lap because everyone was waiting for someone else to lead the pack. And in doing so, none of them crossed the line before the chequered flag was waved. But at the British GP this year, something similar happened in Q1.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fought it out during Q1

Hamilton, Verstappen, and Pierre Gasly were the last ones to get out of the pits for their last flying lap of the session. But when Hamilton led Verstappen out, he drove unnecessarily slowly, supposedly to back Max up. After watching this play out, Dutch channel Ziggo Sports presenter Olav Mol said, as quoted by f1maximaal.nl, “You saw Verstappen think: f**k off with that thing, man, I have to go on.“ 

The tussle didn’t end there. As soon as Verstappen got enough room to move around the track, he tried to overtake Hamilton, but Hamilton started weaving and didn’t let Max pass. The two were going side by side until Turn 8, where Verstappen finally overtook Hamilton. Watching the two fight it out during qualifying like they used to do on track in 2021, former racer Robert Doornbos said, “It seemed as if we were looking at images from 2021, but now it was an out lap of qualifying!”

Either way, the two crossed the line before the chequered flag, and both put in times that were good enough to take them through to Q2, with Verstappen finishing ahead of Hamilton. But the Dutch presenters still felt that Hamilton played dirty tactics to slow Verstappen down. Whether or not Max was frustrated, he sure was surprised after qualifying, not because of Lewis but because of McLaren.

Read More: Max Verstappen Makes a Surprising Admission Despite Fears of 480,000 Fans Not Wanting to See Him Claim British GP

Max Verstappen was pleasantly surprised by McLaren

If there was one thing no one was expecting to see during qualifying at the British GP, it was the McLaren duo in second and third—Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri. If Max Verstappen was surprised to see Norris qualify in P3 at the Spanish GP this year, he was absolutely astounded to see two McLarens qualify right behind him in Silverstone.

After qualifying, he said in an interview, “I was quite surprised to see the two McLarens up there with me.” While he always believed that Norris has the potential to compete at the very top, Oscar Piastri proved his worth at the British GP as well.

Do you think the McLarens could give Verstappen a run for his money?

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