Max Verstappen has never hidden his dislike for the new Madring circuit in Spain. After heavily criticising the track during free practice, the Red Bull driver exploded during the race, especially in the chaotic opening laps.
His frustration peaked when he got caught in a first-corner incident. To avoid contact with Lewis Hamilton, he cut the first chicane. However, he refused to yield to Hamilton until his team gave a firm instruction to let the Ferrari #44 pass to avoid a penalty.
The problem was that by then Hamilton was no longer right behind him. The British driver had dropped further back, even being overtaken by Antonelli's Mercedes. Hamilton was also starting to have brake issues, forcing Verstappen to almost stop on track to wait and let him by.
Once Hamilton was ahead, Verstappen struggled to re-pass him immediately. Hamilton was slow due to brake problems, and the Madring's narrow, twisty nature with almost no overtaking spots made it extremely difficult for Verstappen to escape the 'train' that Hamilton had inadvertently created.
Frustration boiled over. The four-time world champion vented on team radio with a now-iconic line: “F*cking Mickey Mouse racing, this is“.
Yet at the end of the race, Verstappen jokingly thanked the Madring's characteristics. Precisely because overtaking is nearly impossible, he was able to hold off a faster Lando Norris in the closing laps. “I just had to put the car in the middle of the track,” he quipped. The 'Mickey Mouse' track takes away, the 'Mickey Mouse' track gives back.
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