The Australian Grand Prix was an unforgettable race for many reasons. That being said, amongst all the carnage and chaos, there was one more reason why F1 fans were hooked to their seats throughout. 7x champion, Lewis Hamilton, was finally on the verge of ending his winless streak. What’s more? This meant that he was back at it again with his arch-nemesis, Max Verstappen.
Though Verstappen prevailed in the end, the move that the Brit made on the Dutch lion to momentarily get ahead became the talk of the town. While the 2x champion was miffed and the apparent lack of space left by Hamilton, the Brit came out after the race to add his own spin on to things.
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During the post-race press conference, Hamilton was quoted as saying, “I thought it was pretty decent. He braked early & I braked late. I was fully up the inside & I think we both left space for each other. I didn’t run him off the road & he didn’t turn in on me. We didn’t touch & that’s racing,” while defending his stance.
🗣️ | 🇦🇺 Lewis Hamilton on his move with Max in T3:
"I thought it was pretty decent. He braked early & I braked late. I was fully up the inside & I think we both left space for each other. I didn't run him off the road & he didn't turn in on me. We didn't touch & that's racing." pic.twitter.com/M0F094JZnA
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) April 2, 2023
Needless to say, the rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton has already created a divide amongst the F1 fan base. And the two world champions giving differing viewpoints on the incident was sure to divide opinions amongst their separate set of fans.
Fans react as Lewis Hamilton issues clarification on Max Verstappen’s accusations
As soon as Hamilton’s words went viral, fans rushed to the social networking platform, Twitter to share their reactions. One fan even commented, “Verstappen is a cry baby pass it on.” Let’s take a look at just a few of the fan reactions from this Hamilton-Verstappen Twitter war.
As a Max fan it was totally fair & Max just overacted a bit in the moment as some of this stuff has been sensitive in the past I guess.. reality is he was just too conservative on the brakes as he was trying to play it safe and protect the car, which was fair as it worked out.
— itsBreezy (@iitsBreeezy) April 2, 2023
Ironic for mV to say some stuff when he nearly pushed George on the grass to defend from him at race start yesterday https://t.co/13k4dQCHzf
— SwtltmBambi63 (@Swtltm) April 3, 2023
Verstappen is a cry baby pass it on
— Nick (@NickoSlick_LUFC) April 3, 2023
It was clear to see that many agreed with Hamilton. In the eyes of the fans, Verstappen’s version of events were blown out of proportion.
dumb he even needs to defend it, VER didn’t even go fully off track so he had room. it’s a fine overtake, let’s move on 😀 https://t.co/39BCSIlFAd
— Reece 🖤 (@ReeceNuttall_) April 3, 2023
I will forever find Max whining about being ‘forced’ off track ironic. https://t.co/coYzDS5UFl
— abi ⚜️ (@AbigailLucy_) April 3, 2023
But while a lot of fans on Twitter were team LH, a few also had a thing or two to say in support of the Dutch lion, Max Verstappen.
imagine if max doing that move then imagine culth's reaction
— Berkcan (@thfcbekots) April 2, 2023
It’s alright, max tried to avoid contact and he knew he had the speed to recover
— redbullfanboy (@redbullfanboy) April 2, 2023
A few even turned on Hamilton.
I will cause accident, if you do not let me pass by hook or crook -lewis https://t.co/NqcHZMoMZ1
— Sujit Biswas (@SujitBiswas) April 3, 2023
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Watch This Story: F1 Stars Max Verstappen & Lando Norris Go Wild With Their Girlfriends in Monaco
— Balogun David (@LordBaery) April 3, 2023
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No matter what is said by the two, the debate will rage on. But irrespective of this, it was a mega battle between the two. Can we hope to see more of such action between the two multiple champions in 2023?