Verstappen Avoids Penalties For Hamilton And Norris Incidents At Hungarian F1

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The Hungarian Grand Prix was an action-packed race full of incidents including team-order disputes, a McLaren one-two, and an angry Max Verstappen complaining about team orders and narrowly avoiding penalties for two incidents. Finishing fifth, Verstappen saw his championship lead over Lando Norris, who came home second, slip to 76 points.

Just over halfway through the F1 calendar, Max Verstappen is in a commanding position. Following his fifth-place finish, he now sits 76 points clear of second-placed Lando Norris and is the sportsbook’s favorite to win the championship, with some of the best online betting sites offering odds of -350 to take the championship title. Norris is second favorite with odds of +400, representing decent value after Verstappen’s winless three-race streak. Bettors can also find further value by shopping around for first-deposit bonuses and taking advantage of crypto gambling bonuses.

Verstappen is vying for his fourth world championship and is known for being an aggressive driver. That driving style has seen him involved in several crashes and clashes, including two at this month’s Hungarian GP.

Verstappen Investigation

The first of Verstappen’s incidents came at the first bend. The champion started in P3 behind Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s Mercedes. The three drivers headed into the turn on roughly equal footing but Verstappen, challenging around the outside of the bend, ran wide and went off track. On rejoining, he took second place from Norris. The Brit and Verstappen complained over team radios.

The FIA duly placed Verstappen under investigation and informed the team that if he didn’t give the position back, he could face a penalty after the race. The Red Bull driver gave the position back, eventually, and, given the FIA’s findings, it looks like that was the right move.

Following the investigation, the FIA said Verstappen gained an advantage by going off track and rejoining ahead of Norris but went on to say that because he gave the position back, no further action would be taken.

Verstappen didn’t necessarily agree with the decision, however, as he stated “so you can just drive people off the track then?” That wouldn’t be the last time in the race that Verstappen took umbrage with others.

Heated Team Radio Discussions

Throughout the GP, Verstappen entered heated conversations with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who at one point used the word childish. While it has been claimed the engineer’s remark was aimed at others calling for penalties, there was clearly some friction between the pair that have worked together now for eight years.

After the race, Verstappen went on to claim that team decisions cost him a comfortable podium finish. 

Collision With Hamilton

Another contributing factor that caused him to potentially lose out on a higher finish was a collision between the Belgian and Lewis Hamilton on lap 63.

At the time, the pair were fighting for third place. Verstappen attempted to overtake the Brit by taking the inside lane, but his front wheels locked up and, following contact with Hamilton, Verstappen’s Red Bull went airborne.

Immediately after the incident, and after the race, Verstappen claimed the Mercedes driver had turned under braking, suggesting that Hamilton had intentionally slowed and maneuvered in front of the challenge. On investigating, race stewards determined this wasn’t the case, although they did say that Hamilton could have done more to avoid the accident. Hamilton described the collision as a racing incident.

Championship Performance

Despite taking a commanding lead early in this season’s F1 championship, Verstappen has failed to win any of his last three races. Fans have to look back to the end of the 2021 season for the last time the driver has gone this long without coming out at the top of the podium. And that winless streak might explain the driver’s somewhat tetchy attitude.

Although his lead has been cut to 76 points, Verstappen has nearly a three-race buffer to see him through the final ten races of the season and fend off the resurgent McLarens.

Team Orders Controversy

It wasn’t just Verstappen that was embroiled in controversy in Hungary, though after McLaren’s one-two was somewhat overshadowed by a team orders controversy. Piastri took his maiden F1 victory, but only after Norris was told to give the race lead back to his teammate.

McLaren argued that Norris only had the lead because they had called him in for a pit stop first to defend his position against Hamilton and that it was fair to concede the top spot. Although talk over the radio strongly suggested that Norris disagreed with that opinion he did, at pretty much the last minute, hand the lead back to Norris with just two laps of the race remaining. After the race, the Brit said he was tempted to ignore the orders, although claimed he always intended to give the position back but that it made sense to wait until later in the race.

The Season Ahead

Verstappen will be hoping to get back to winning ways at the next Grand Prix: the Belgian’s home race. Verstappen has won the last three Belgian GPs and will be hoping he can take a much-needed win over the McLarens before the F1 season heads into its summer break. If he fails to win again, it will be a long two weeks while the reigning champion waits to get back on track.

Unusually, the odds are against Verstappen with Lando Norris the favorite to continue his recent streak. Bookmakers have given Norris odds of +100 while Verstappen is around +250 for the win. Piastri, who is fresh from his somewhat overshadowed maiden victory, is +400 for the victory.

There is sure to be a lot of interest in the race as the season hots up and due to the forced 14-day break that follows, which will also coincide with the start of the Summer Olympics.