Verstappen, who broke Sebastian Vettel’s record of being the youngest ever GP victor, crossed the chequered flag at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1:41:40.017, while keeping 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen behind him in the process.
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Rosberg, who conceded that his engine was not in the correct mode, said he moved to defend his position and was surprised by Hamilton.
“He has been racing his whole life, so it’s quite normal for him, but to win a Formula One race will always be very special, particularly with the way he won it”.
It was a flashpoint similar to that at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, when the pair collided on the first lap after Rosberg rejected Hamilton’s attempt to close the door through the chicane.
“Completely unnecessary”, former driver Niki Lauda, Mercedes’ non-executive chairman, said from the pit lane. Opinions were split right down the middle over who was really responsible, and even though technically, Lewis was the one that hit Nico, it was the German driver who forced the reigning F1 champ off the track where he inevitably lost control of his vehicle. “That both Mercedes are out after two corners is for me unacceptable”.
“Lewis was too aggressive to pass him, and why should Nico give him room?” the Austrian asked rhetorically. He’s in the lead.
Hamilton pounced, choosing to make a move down the right-hand side, which would win him the inside line to turn four – but Rosberg claimed the space at the latest possible moment, closing the door just as Hamilton reached his vehicle.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the similarities between Formula 1’s newest victor Max Verstappen and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel are “uncanny”. “I blame Lewis more than I blame Nico”.
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Each driver seemed to blame the other, without clear articulation of those feelings, during a clumsy news conference that barely papered over the cracks in a team likely to face more pressure ahead from the improving Ferrari and Red Bull. Until Barcelona, Red Bull had considered that classic race their best chance of winning this season. Home crowd-favorite Fernando Alonso retired with a power unit failure.
