After the controversy between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austin, Lewis Hamilton said it’s time for the FIA to update the rules on racing closely.
Hamilton pointed out that this issue has been around for years, recalling the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix when he and Verstappen battled fiercely as they neared the end of the championship. Both drivers went off the track at Turn 4 in Interlagos when Hamilton tried to pass on the outside and Verstappen braked late.
Like in Brazil, Verstappen was not penalized in Austin when he and Norris went off at Turn 12 while Norris attempted to pass. Instead, Norris received a five-second penalty for rejoining ahead of Verstappen in third place, as the stewards decided he had gained an advantage by leaving the track.
When asked by reporters if he thought the F1 racing rules needed changes after the incident between Verstappen and Norris, Hamilton emphasized that this is not a new problem.
“I have felt this way for a long time, and it’s interesting that people are talking about it now because the same thing happened to me in 2021,” he said.
He explained, “For instance, in Brazil, when you’re braking, you might be ahead, but then the other car might just stop braking and not make the corner, forcing you to go wide. Then they say you both went wide, but you had no choice because you were trying to avoid a crash.”
“There definitely needs to be action taken about this, because it’s happening a lot now. “You shouldn’t be able to let off the brakes, speed up, go off track, and still keep your position.”
The incident in Brazil was one that former Red Bull F1 designer Adrian Newey—who is moving to Aston Martin for F1 2025—recently said showed Verstappen was “a bit out of order” in how he defended against Hamilton.
When asked on the High Performance Podcast if Verstappen, now a three-time World Champion, ever shows signs of stress, Newey replied: “I think maybe a little during his championship win in ’21.
“The tension, especially after Silverstone, between Lewis and Max became really intense, and Max had strong feelings about that Silverstone accident.
“He had been the clear championship leader going into Silverstone, but after that, he was out of the race, and then pretty much out of the race in Hungary when he got hit by Valtteri [Bottas], which was not intentional, but still resulted in him scoring very few points. So he went from being the easy championship leader to feeling more pressure.
“Mercedes found a lot more speed in their car towards the end of the season.
“So it’s always easier for the hunter than the hunted. Max was starting to feel some pressure as the hunted. Therefore, he was probably lucky not to receive a penalty for his driving in Brazil.”
“Saudi, where they had quite a clash, was a bit more… I think that was not clear, but Max was probably a bit out of line in Brazil, to be honest, so I think he was feeling the pressure.”
Verstappen heads into the Mexican Grand Prix with a 57-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Norris, and he has won this event a record five times.
