Verstappen’s ‘torpedo’ driving angers Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has delivered his most pointed criticism yet of Max Verstappen’s driving style, claiming that he is forced to take extra care when racing against the brilliant if mercurial young Dutchman.

While euphoric at a Mexican Grand Prix win that made a sixth world title all but certain, he said his victory had come in spite of his opening-lap collision with Verstappen, which he likened to being “torpedoed”.

The pair had gone wheel to wheel through the second corner, with Hamilton sustaining damage to his rear floor, which affected the stability of his Mercedes and compelled him to adjust his driving technique for one of his most tactically impressive wins.

Hamilton, who preserved his tyres for a remarkable 48 laps, said: “I thought at some stage that I would get torpedoed by Max. I braked into turn one and all of a sudden Max was alongside me. I always leave Max a lot of space, because it is the smartest thing you can do.”

Hamilton had already been outspoken about Verstappen’s failure to back off under double yellow flags during qualifying, saying: “He didn’t need to go flat out, he had already got pole. The flag normally means, ‘Slow the f--- down.’” After the race, he went a step further, indicating that Verstappen, 22, was likely to cause crashes unless others kept their distance.

“Every driver is slightly different. Some are very smart and aggressive, and some are silly with it,” he said. “So you give some more space, and with others you don’t have to because they are quite respectful. But with Max it is very likely that you are going to come together if you don’t give him the extra space. I don’t think it was intentional, what happened on the first lap, but he’s a magnet for those kinds of things.”

Hamilton needs only to finish eighth or higher at this weekend’s US Grand Prix in Austin – on a circuit where he has won in four of the past five years – to make sure of the drivers’ championship.