The Spanish Grand Prix ended early for Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver soon encountered Max Verstappen in the opening phase of the race and then faced brake problems. The failure of his pedal ultimately meant the end of Hamilton’s race. He also responded afterwards to the battle with Verstappen: “Well, that was just good racing.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen started the Spanish GP side by side. Soon the two met on the track. Verstappen even had to go off the track briefly before coming back onto the track ahead of Hamilton. Red Bull then came on the radio with the order to give the position back. The Dutchman then passed not only Hamilton but also Kimi Antonelli; the young Italian had also been overtaken by Verstappen.
Verstappen was not stuck behind Hamilton for long; soon the Ferrari driver suffered brake problems and his race at the Madring ended prematurely. “I had a good start,” the seven-time world champion said afterwards. “I didn’t see Max, but I overtook him at the start. After that, I didn’t really take part in the battle at turn five. When I turned into turn five and hit the brakes, the car initially slowed down fine. But then the pedal suddenly went through and the car stopped no longer from one moment to the next, causing me to go wide and just touch the wall.”
‘That was just good racing’
For Hamilton, that moment did not feel ‘like a hard touch’. “Afterwards, the brake pedal felt normal again and the next corners went fine,” he continued. “Everything looked good until the pedal failed again. That was the end of my race.” About his collision with Verstappen on the track – and Verstappen’s radio messages about the incident – Hamilton is clear: “Well, that was just good racing.”
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