Lewis Hamilton sends Sly Dig to Max Verstappen after chaos in the Mexican GP

Lewis Hamilton made a discreet but sharp remark to Max Verstappen after the chaotic Grand Prix of Mexico City. After a battle over a few laps, Hamilton managed to beat his Mercedes teammate George Russell and secure fourth place. The two drivers managed to avoid a collision, spurring Hamilton’s devious attack on Verstappen, who was part of a messy battle with Lando Norris.

During the Mexico City Grand Prix, Hamilton and Russell started in fifth and sixth place respectively. An early battle ensued as the two Mercedes drivers swapped positions, with Russell initially taking the lead over Hamilton. Hamilton commented on the battle after the race: to report:

“It was fun, I had fun today. I had a good start, I had a very bad first stint, I took too much front wing out of the car, I had massive, massive understeer.

“After my stop I was able to put this right, and after that I had a much better pace, and I was able to push and keep going, and we also stopped a little earlier than what I had planned and stuff. We have good points.

“It’s quite simple, I don’t think either of us are crazy. George is very smart and honest, and he’s just very good at where he puts his car, and I think for me too.

“So if (the team) comes on the radio and says keep it clean, then it’s like ‘of course’. It’s not really any different than when you fight anyone else, except it’s your teammate, so you have to be doubly careful, because you both want to finish.”

As the race progressed, Russell faced his own challenges. An encounter with a bump while following Oscar Piastri resulted in damage to his front wing, which significantly hampered his pace. Despite this setback, he managed to maintain a respectable fifth place. Russell reflected on the race saying:

“I mean, the pace looked pretty strong in the first stint, but when I came out of the pits behind (Oscar) Piastri, I went into the straight and my front left flap just completely collapsed.

“I hit this bump so that probably cost me a good three or four tenths for the rest of the race, so that was tough to hold for 40 laps. P5, I probably would have done that after Friday.”

One of the crucial moments in the race was the penalty imposed by Max Verstappen. Verstappen, known for his aggressive driving style, was involved in separate incidents with McLaren’s Lando Norris, resulting in two 10-second penalties.

Hamilton’s discreet comment, believed to be aimed at Verstappen, reflected their historic rivalry, which came to a head in 2021. Hamilton has regularly criticized Verstappen’s aggressive approach and regarded it as a regular exploitation of the gray areas of the sporting regulations.