One week before the last decisive Grand Prix for the attribution of the title of world champion 2022, the psychological warfare has already started. After having been 2nd in the general classification for a long time, Lewis Hamilton is now tied on points with Max Verstappen (369.5 pts) before the last event scheduled for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates next Sunday. Winner of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday, the seven-time F1 world champion lambasted the behavior of the Red Bull driver, who was finally sanctioned with a ten-second penalty for a racing event. “We all know how to race,” said the Briton. There is only one of us who does not know it. (…) I didn’t get the information (that Verstappen had been asked to give up his position), so it was very confusing. All of a sudden he started backing up and then moving. I was like, Is he playing some kind of crazy tactic ?. Messages started coming in, but he braked so hard I almost got into the back of his car. “
Eight points ahead by Max Verstappen at the start of the Saudi Arabian GP, Lewis Hamilton is now perfectly tied thanks to his first place and the bonus point for the best lap (the Dutchman is ahead in the number of victories, 9 against 8) . “It didn’t matter to him that neither of us finished because he was leading by eight points at the start,” added Hamilton. Initially sanctioned with a five-second penalty and then again ten seconds after the race for this collision, Max Verstappen finally did well by finishing second in the race. But not without drawing the wrath of the 36-year-old English driver. “I needed to keep my cool. I’ve played against a lot of pilots over my years and a lot of different characters, and there are a lot of things beyond the limits and some where the rules don’t apply. “The last race in Abu Dhabi promises to be very tense …
