“Mad” Max Verstappen Once Shrugged Off Lewis Hamilton’s “D*ckhead” Jibe With a Surprisingly Logical Response

When it comes to F1 rivalry in recent times, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the two names that come forward. The two are often seen going against each other on track and racing anything but hard. The prime example of this was the entire 2021 season and the ultimate race in Abu Dhabi. Not only this, the duo have often slammed each other in front of the media on multiple occasions, thanks to their immense rivalry. However, on one occasion, Verstappen acted opposite to his usual response and shrugged off Lewis Hamilton‘s jibe.

The 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix saw Verstappen touch with Hamilton as he tried to go through the inside on Lap 3. As a result, the Dutchman, who’s known as ‘Mad Max’ for his on-track aggression, got his left rear tire punctured and pushed the Mercedes driver away. Hamilton angered due to the collision, reportedly jeered “D*ckhead“, at Verstappen after the race in the cool-down room.

Talking about this, Max Verstappen shared in a report published by Autosport, “He is just out of the car there. Then those things can happen. If you are just out of the car, you are still full of adrenaline, so yeah.”

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Verstappen in the end had to retire his car from the race. The Bahrain race also saw double disaster for Red Bull as Ricciardo pulled out shortly after Max Verstappen got his tire punctured.

Sebastian Vettel defends Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton received unlikely help from a man who has been an ardent rival of his on track. Sebastian Vettel has come to the aid of Hamilton, the man who once helped expose his own character flaw. The German answered on behalf of the Briton regarding the Briton’s comment on Verstappen during the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel told, “We fight someone and sometimes we go wheel-to-wheel, and it’s close, and we have a lot of adrenaline going. I don’t think it’s justified to give us this kind of shit question and making up a story out of nothing. We are just racing, we are full of adrenaline, and we say these things.”

Bringing in a real-life example, the four-time world champion further stated, “If I hit you in your face, you are not going to tell me, ‘Sebastian, that wasn’t nice’. It’s a human reaction, and sometimes I feel it’s all a bit blown up and artificial if we have these questions trying to make something out of nothing.”

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Sebastian Vettel picked up the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix win, while the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton finished in P2 and P3. As for Verstappen, he had to retire his car in the end.