WATCH: Max Verstappen’s Reaction as George Russell Almost Recreated Infamous Daniel Ricciardo-Baku Moment With Lewis Hamilton

The F1 paddock is past the Dutch Grand Prix, and there is a lot to talk about! Red Bull’s Max Verstappen registered his tenth victory of the current campaign at home. The Dutchman shared the podium places with Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. However, if it were up to one Lewis Hamilton, the race scenario would be very different.

The safety car incident forced by Valtteri Bottas on lap 55 gave drivers the opportunity to pit. The three podium finishers pitted for soft compounds. However, Hamilton was advised to stay out on medium compounds, a strategic call that gave Hamilton the lead.

However, the Mercedes man was a sitting duck for Verstappen, Russell, and Leclerc, all driving on soft tires. Verstappen started the overtaking cycle, followed by Russell and Leclerc at the end. Out of the three, the most notable was Russell’s overtaking maneuver on his teammate.

The young Brit almost made contact with Hamilton during his overtaking attempt on the main straight. The moment was reminiscent of Ricciardo’s collision with Verstappen at Baku in 2018. Although luckily, the two got away unscathed, unlike in the 2018 incident.

In the cooldown room, Russell commented, “Oh, this was very close,” while watching the race highlights. Verstappen could only gasp in disbelief as Leclerc said, “I saw it from outside. I thought you had touched.”

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Verstappen’s expressions perfectly sum up everyone’s reaction to the incident. Luckily, the young Brit did not collide with the veteran and end both of their races.

A collision would’ve only added to Hamilton’s agony, as heard on his team radio during the race.

Lewis Hamilton was a changed man in the post-race interview

Hamilton was absolutely furious after he became a sitting duck on his medium compounds. The seven-time world champion delivered a rant riddled with profanity towards the end of the race. However, after calming down, the Mercedes man was a completely changed man for the post-race interview.

Hamilton said, “I was just on the edge of breaking point with emotions and my apologies to the team because I don’t even remember what I said. I just lost it for a second. But I think they know that there is just so much passion.”

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An apologetic Hamilton was appreciative of the team’s effort so far as the Brackley outfit has made strides in the right direction compared to the start. Admittedly, the radio conversation during the race was coming out of frustration of losing out on a possible win. The Dutch GP could’ve very well been Hamilton’s first win of the season but the wait goes on.