Lewis Hamilton after latest Verstappen incident: ‘What can I say, you know how it is with Max’
Max Verstappen, Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, come together. Brazil, November 2022.
After his latest collision with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton declared that “you know how it is with Max” after the Sao Paulo GP.
The Safety Car had been deployed to cover an earlier collision between Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo, but with the track returning to green, further contact would arrive courtesy of last season’s title rivals Verstappen and Hamilton.
Verstappen would go around the outside of Hamilton at Turn 1, diving then for the inside at Turn 2 as the pair came together, wrecking the front wing on Verstappen’s Red Bull.
The stewards would decide that Verstappen was the driver at fault, issuing a five-second time penalty.
Hamilton too lost ground, but not as much, recovering to finish P2 behind team-mate George Russell as Mercedes won for the first time this season with a one-two.
Hamilton heaped praise on Russell and Mercedes after the race, while also making reference to that Verstappen crash.
“Huge congratulations to George,” said Hamilton immediately after the race. “What an amazing drive he did today. He did amazing in qualifying yesterday, so he truly deserves it.
“To my team, so proud of everyone back at the factory and here, this is an incredible result. We’ve worked so hard through this year to get a one-two, or to get a win, so this is hugely, hugely deserved from everybody so big, big thank you.
“What can I say? You know how it is with Max.”
This was Hamilton’s first Sao Paulo GP since becoming an honorary citizen of Brazil.
He thanked the crowd for their acceptance and warm welcome, adding that he hopes to return to the nation for some holidays in future.
“Big, big thank you to everyone here in Brazil,” said Hamilton. “I’ve really had one of the best weeks of my life here, just with how everyone’s accepted me here and the warm welcome I’ve had.
“So excited to come back here again and hopefully some holidays in future.”
Hamilton now goes into the final round in Abu Dhabi with a very slim chance of finishing as high as P4 in the final Drivers’ standings, 25 points behind team-mate Russell who holds that position.
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