Just Max Being Max: Verstappen's Hungary Double Overtake Wasn't Personal, Hamilton Says
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Max Verstappen pulled off one of those moves that reminds you why he's in the conversation with the greats. At the Hungaroring, he caught both Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton cold with a late braking dive into Turn 1 that looked absolutely audacious. The double pass was the kind of moment that gets replayed for years, and it set him up nicely for the summer break after bagging a podium finish. But here's the thing, and Lewis wants to make this crystal clear: it wasn't personal.
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The setup was classic mid-race chess. Ferrari brought Lewis in early on Lap 13 from fourth place, hoping an undercut would shake things up. Red Bull responded immediately by pitting Max the very next lap. When the dust settled, Lewis was ahead of his old 2021 title rival, but Liam Lawson had yet to make his stop. That's when Verstappen saw his moment and just went for it, absolutely sending it on the brakes to dispatch both drivers in one stunning maneuver.
According to former F1 driver Christijan Albers, this is exactly what separates Verstappen from the rest. The guy just doesn't stop fighting, lap after lap, corner after corner. He goes for it at every braking point because that's what Red Bull pays him the big salary for. Max himself kept it simple when asked about the move, saying he spotted the opportunity and took it because his Red Bull was good enough on the brakes to pull it off safely.
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What's funny is nobody's upset about it. Even Lawson, who was on the receiving end of part one of that pass, reckoned it was an impressive bit of driving. He said he wasn't expecting Max to go for it that aggressively, and yeah, it cost him some time running behind them, but he could appreciate a good move when he saw it. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, watching from the broadcast booth, literally exclaimed in amazement when the overtake came up on the highlights. That's the kind of moment that reminds everyone why F1 can be so special.
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So no bad blood here. Just Max doing what Max does best, seeing a gap and exploiting it with precision and nerve. Lewis gets it, the paddock gets it, and honestly, that's what makes Verstappen such a riveting competitor to watch.
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