Max Verstappen vented his frustration after a first-corner incident with Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix, calling it "Mickey Mouse racing" over team radio.
The incident occurred at the start when Verstappen cut the opening chicane to get ahead of Hamilton. He was then instructed by his team to give the position back, which sparked the Dutchman's fury. Having also overtaken Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the first lap, Verstappen had to let both Mercedes drivers through, momentarily dropping to fourth.
"Lewis almost shunted into me, he was out of control. If I didn't move, he just shunted into me. I would've been ahead," Verstappen complained over team radio. He also said that if he had stayed on track, he would have had damage and his race could have been over.
Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambaise, instructed him to give the place back to Hamilton, which also meant letting Antonelli through. Verstappen angrily replied: "Mate, what the f**k are you guys talking about? He would've shunted it. If I just stay on the track, I am out of the race." After re-passing Hamilton, who was forced to retire with a brake failure, Verstappen returned to the airwaves: "He can give me the position now, f**king bullsh*t. F**king mickey-mouse racing this is."
Speaking after calming down and finishing second, Verstappen explained his view. "I would have had damage at the start if I would have stayed on track. So then the win was also not on. It's as simple as that," he said. "I just did my own thing in Turn 1, but Lewis went for a move on the first two and bottomed out on the curbs. So he just jumped back onto the track, and that's why I had to go off the road. If I would have stayed there, I would have definitely had contact, so then my race could have potentially been over in Turn 2. And that's why I think where we are now, I'm happy to be."
Hamilton disagreed with Verstappen's take, feeling "It was pretty good racing to be honest." When asked about Verstappen's complaints over the radio, Hamilton responded: "Nothing to do with me."
The incident adds to the intensity of the rivalry between the two drivers who have contested closely for world titles. Despite Hamilton's retirement, Verstappen finished second to secure vital points in the championship hunt. The closely fought race demonstrated the fine margins between attacking and defending on track, and how split-second decisions can impact the final outcome.
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