Hamilton dismisses Verstappen's penalty call after fierce Austrian GP wheel-to-wheel battle

Lewis Hamilton brushed aside Max Verstappen’s demand for a penalty following their two on-track battles at the Austrian Grand Prix, insisting the Red Bull driver had only himself to blame for being forced wide at Turn 6 of the Red Bull Ring.

The 2021 title rivals clashed twice during the race, with Hamilton successfully holding off Verstappen on lap 11 before conceding the position when their fight resumed on lap 22 after the first round of pitstops. In the earlier exchange, Verstappen dived ahead at Turn 3, with Hamilton switching back into Turn 4 and then defending around the outside of Turn 6. Having arrived at the apex first, Hamilton eased Verstappen over the kerb, forcing the Dutchman to put two wheels on the gravel before backing out.

Verstappen called for a penalty over team radio, but the stewards took no action. Hamilton was unrepentant when informed of the complaint. “He went off the outside. You don’t expect to go around the outside of a champion,” the Ferrari driver said. “I wouldn’t expect to go around the outside of him there and hold the line. He was behind at the apex and therefore he should have backed out, but he didn’t. I left him just enough room.”

Verstappen himself appeared largely unbothered by the incident after the race, focusing instead on the time lost while chasing race leader George Russell. “I was closing the gap even after the battles that I had with Lewis. It was cool, but it made us lose quite a bit of time,” he said.

When their duel resumed following the pitstop cycle, Verstappen adjusted his approach — committing to the inside line at Turn 6 to ease Hamilton wide and reclaim the position cleanly.

Hamilton ultimately finished fifth, 26 seconds behind race winner Russell, with Ferrari’s unbalanced car limiting his pace throughout. He acknowledged that Red Bull had made a significant step forward in Austria, crediting upgrades — including a substantial weight reduction — for enabling Verstappen to claim second place and his best result of the season.

“They made a huge step this weekend. I think they must have brought three to four tenths upgrade,” Hamilton said. “Three tenths was just from the weight that they dropped from the car, which is huge.”