Lewis Hamilton's 18-word statement on Max Verstappen 'hostility' speaks volumes

Lewis Hamilton has suggested that there will always be 'hostility' from Max Verstappen's camp after their clash at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

During Sunday's gripping race in Budapest, Hamilton and Verstappen were vying for third place on lap 63 when they collided at Turn One. In a bid to overtake, the reigning Formula One champion attempted to pass the Mercedes ace but was sent flying off the track.

Although Verstappen managed to get back into the race, he dropped behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to finish fifth. The rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen is well-documented, with their most notorious encounter occurring at Silverstone in 2021 amidst one of the fiercest battles for the F1 title. The stewards decided against any penalties this time, but the Dutch superstar pointed fingers at Hamilton for the incident. Hamilton later gave his perspective, as he said: "We passed a backmarker, I got to the braking zone and then Max appeared to overtake the car behind me, so I moved over to defend," following his third-place finish behind Lando Norris and race victor Oscar Piastri.

"I left enough room in the inside, but Max locked up. He was going a different trajectory to me. I was going towards the corner and he came shooting across. It felt like a racing incident. It's easy to make mistakes like that." Interestingly, Hamilton added: "I don't feel there should be any hostility – but of course, from his side, there always will be."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner concurred that the drivers' clash was a 'racing incident', although Verstappen was less amicable. "I went for a move that was on but in the middle of the braking zone, when I'm committed to the move, he just keeps moving right," the Dutchman, who hasn't won