Add Category
In short:
Max Verstappen was left frustrated after finishing fifth at the Hungarian Grand Prix, believing his team made a bad pit strategy decision.
The triple-world champion crashed into Lewis Hamilton and had a running battle over the radio with his race engineer.
What's next?
Formula 1 heads to the Belgian Grand Prix next weekend, with Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship down to 76 points.
Max Verstappen's focus on Formula 1 has been questioned after the triple-world champion suffered a frustrating race in Hungary.
Verstappen, who finished fifth while watching Australian Oscar Piastri claim his maiden win, cut a furious figure as he swore repeatedly at his team over the radio and then came together with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
The Dutchman never looked comfortable in his car, as Red Bull realised the dominant advantage they enjoyed over McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari last year was gone.
Loading...But it was Verstappen's decision to spend much of the night before taking part in a 24-hour driving simulator race that drew plenty of attention.
Verstappen has taken part in simulator races in the past, but with the competition in F1 currently so close, former world champion Nico Rosberg questioned whether Verstappen was taking the challenge as seriously as he needed to.
"Lando [Norris], last night his bedtime was 11:05pm, wake-up was 8:05am. Breakfast was already set, like exactly what to eat. So hyper-professional, which is nice to know," Rosberg said on UK-based broadcaster Sky Sports.
"At the same time, in contrast, we have Verstappen who until 3am last night was sim racing.
"You know, that's a bit disappointing. It just shows he's too used to his ease of domination."
The Dutchman started the race from third but went off-track at the first turn and was able to move into second because of that.
Verstappen, despite insisting he was forced wide by Norris, was told by his team to give the position back to the McLaren driver to avoid a penalty.
The Dutchman became more agitated as the race progressed, falling behind Hamilton and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc during the pit stops, meaning he needed to fight for third place.
Verstappen had a verbal battle at times with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
In what appeared to be a reference to Verstappen not saving his tyres on the final stint of the race, Lambiase sarcastically told the Dutchman over the radio: "Well, that's some gentle introduction."
A clearly furious Verstappen, annoyed by what he perceived as a bad pit strategy from his team, snapped back at Lambiase in a frosty exchange.
"No mate, don't give me that s*** now," Verstappen bellowed back.
"You guys gave me this s*** strategy, OK? I'm trying to rescue what's left."
The tension between the two could be cut with a knife after Verstappen, trying to overtake Hamilton for third, broke late and locked his tyres, which led to both cars coming together and the Red Bull vehicle becoming airborne.
Verstappen was adamant Hamilton was at fault, a view not shared by the stewards or Lambiase.
"I am not even going to get into a radio fight with the other teams, Max," he said.
"We'll let the stewards do their thing. It's childish on the radio, childish."
Verstappen's lead over Norris in the drivers' championship is 76 points with 11 races left in the season.
There have been seven different winners over 13 races in 2024, but Verstappen has been the clear stand-out with seven victories.
But for a driver who had historic dominance in 2023, his reign atop the F1 hierarchy is being questioned for the first time since he claimed his first championship in 2021.
Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.