‘He can’t complain’ – Damon Hill calls out Max Verstappen over Albon clash

Damon Hill has accused Max Verstappen of hypocrisy after the Red Bull driver complained about Alex Albon’s aggressive defence in Miami.

Racing a revised RB22 at the Miami Autodrome, the car sporting Red Bull’s new ‘Macarena’ rear wing, Verstappen started the Grand Prix from a season-best P2 on the grid.

Damon Hill questions Max Verstappen reaction to Alex Albon defence

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However, it all went wrong for the four-time world champion on the opening lap when he spun while trying to challenge Charles Leclerc for the lead. A full 360 and the driver was back on his way, but had fallen to ninth place.

Verstappen was the first driver to pit, coming in on lap 7 to swap his medium Pirelli tyres for a set of hards. He rejoined the action in 16th place and made short work of those ahead as he charged through the field.

At least until he came up behind Alex Albon.

The Williams driver showed impressive defence as he got his elbows out in the race for ninth place, forcing Verstappen to back off.

Verstappen was not impressed.

“Mate, he just squeezed me onto the bollard!” vented Verstappen over the radio to his race engineer GianPiero Lambiase.

“What the f***! That’s not allowed.”

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Verstappen eventually overtook his former teammate and raced his way to fifth on the day.

1996 world champion Hill thought it was rather hypocritical of Verstappen to complain about another driver giving him the squeeze.

“Well, hearing him complaining about Alex Albon regaining the place and squeezing Max Verstappen,” Hill told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I have to say, Max can’t really complain about other people doing things like that to him. He does it enough to everyone else.”

Verstappen’s tussle with Albon came just a day after the Red Bull driver raced his former nemesis Lewis Hamilton for sixth place in the Saturday Sprint.

Hamilton had been running ahead of the Dutch racer on lap 8 when Verstappen dived up the inside at Turn 11. Forcing Hamilton out wide, both were off the road with Verstappen emerging ahead.

Verstappen had to give the position back to Hamilton, with the two taking the chequered flag sixth and seventh with the Ferrari driver ahead.

“You’d have to say it was a good pass attempt by Max,” said Hill. “I mean, he actually got down inside, and it was almost as if everyone else was going too slowly.

“They were sort of concertinaing up and almost as if Lewis had kind of backed out of it. And Max just went for the gap.

“And famously, in his own inimitable style, goes very deep and uses all the road.”

Scoring 14 points in Miami, Verstappen broke into the top ten in the Drivers’ Championship in seventh place.

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