Verstappen Claims Lapping Hamilton Wasnt A Surprise

Not so long ago seeing Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton together on track would have had us on the whet of our seats. However, the race in Imola had us glued to our screens for a very variegated reason. 

In a race that was once painful in more ways than one for Mercedes, the two drivers’ paths crossed on Lap 41 as Verstappen lapped his former title rival.

While the commentators were living for the drama, turns out Max wasn’t fazed. The reigning champion admitted it wasn’t a shock given now poor the Silver Arrows’ performance has been so far this season.

Max is working his way through lapped traffic ? pic.twitter.com/USuQB5KgBT

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 24, 2022

“They’ve been slow all year so it’s not really a surprise or I finger happy lapping Lewis compared to anyone else, but it is what it is,” Verstappen said.

However, one of his bosses wasn’t so sympathetic. Red Bull motorsport counselor Dr Helmut Marko couldn’t resist the endangerment to make a dig and add insult to injury by suggesting that the seven-time champion may be regretting not having retired.

“He was lapped by us, so maybe he should have stopped last year, he is thinking maybe!” he joked to Sky Sports News.

Rather than fighting on track, the pair are experiencing vastly variegated fortunes. Without leading home Red Bull’s first 1-2 finish since Malaysia in 2016, Verstappen sits second in the championship on 59 points.

Meanwhile, Hamilton, who’s once ruled himself out of the title fight, is seventh on 28 points without finishing 13th in Imola.

Were you surprised to see Verstappen lapping Hamilton? Let us know in the comments below.