Max Verstappen has addressed the wheel-to-wheel battle he had with Formula 1 championship rival Lewis Hamilton during free practice two on Friday.
During the session, the pair went side-by-side along the start-finish straight, with Hamilton overtaking Verstappen into the first corner.
Verstappen lashed out at Hamilton on the team radio following the altercation, calling him a “stupid idiot” while also giving the seven-time world champion the finger.
The Red Bull driver provided his side of the story, admitting he doesn’t really understand what happened in the incident.
“I don’t know. We are all lining up to go for our laps, so I don’t really understand what happened there,” Verstappen commented.
The Dutchman ended the second practice outing eighth on the timesheet, failing to register a representative time while team-mate Sergio Perez headed the session.
“In FP2 on the soft tyre, [I] didn’t get the lap in,” Verstappen said. “Overall it’s not easy out there, the track is quite bumpy, and also to find the right compromise with the car hasn’t been the easiest so far.
“There are a few positive things to look at and we will continue to work on it also overnight.”
Verstappen currently leads the F1 championship by six points over Hamilton, with six races remaining in the campaign.
Red Bull is looking to regain momentum in the title race this weekend, having not won at the last three grands prix – its longest winless streak of the 2021 season.
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