– First of all: I’m glad I’m okay, wrote Verstappen in a post on Instagram.

Many are waiting for an update from the lesser leaders this Sunday, as the last thing he saw of him at the British Grand Prix today, was him leaving the track after a bad crash during the race.

The driver above him was none other than his rival Lewis Hamilton, who won all the races that followed, despite being awarded a ten-second time penalty.

– I am of course very disappointed to be brought out this way. The penalty didn’t help us in any way, and it was unfair given the dangerous moves Lewis made on the pitch, Verstappen further wrote.

Beneath the image, Formula 1 colleague Pierre Gasly commented:

– Glad you’re okay. Scary.

Total accident

Verstappen’s statement may suggest that a minuscule ice front is being built among the sport’s most famous racers. Verstappen and Hamilton are number one and two in the race for the World Cup title.

In today’s race in Great Britain, it was Verstappen who started in pole position, i.e. he had to start first, with Hamilton as number two.

Towards the end of the first lap, an aggressive Hamilton hit the rear wheel of Verstappen, who swerved and hit the barrier at a high speed of about 280 kilometers per hour.

The car to Verstappen was almost a complete wreck, and it all looked pretty ugly.

Verstappen escaped unharmed, but had to stop the race and was sent to the hospital for a checkup.

Hamilton received a ten-second time penalty, but still raced to victory after an impressive recovery. But after that, the 36-year-old Englishman had to answer a lot of questions about what happened.

– He’s very aggressive. I was completely on his side and he gave me no space, Hamilton said and continued:

– Whether I agree with the punishment or not, I accept it and continue to work. “I won’t let anything get in the way of the crowd’s excitement this weekend, with the national anthem and the British flag,” he said.

Responding to the cheers

Hamilton didn’t let accidents and critical questions dampen the celebrations. He walked around and hugged each one (including Tom Cruise), cheering for the audience.

– It’s amazing. “We have the best crowd, the home crowd is the best,” Hamilton said.

These photos seem to irritate Verstappen even more where he is in the hospital.

– Seeing the cheers after the race, when I was in the hospital, it was disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior. But we move on, he wrote in an Instagram post.

Hamilton is said to have stated that he did not know Verstappen was in hospital.

A few hours after Verstappen’s tirade, Hamilton posted the following on Twitter:

– I send my best wishes to Max, who is a fantastic competitor. I’m glad to hear he’s okay. I will always drive hard, but fair, wrote Hamilton.

Christian Horner, head of Verstappen’s team, believes, however, that Hamilton should take full responsibility for the crash.

– Thank goodness he (Verstappen) managed to walk after him. Lewis rode his rear wheel around one of the fastest corners in a Formula 1 circus. He’s been driving here for years and knows that you don’t do it here. All the blame lies with Hamilton. He should never have been in that position, he said, adding that he thought the ten-second penalty was too low.

Cut the tin

Previously, it seemed like the two star racers had mutual respect for each other, but now many are wondering how the relationship between them will be in the future. Prior to this weekend’s Grand Prix, it seemed to have been tense, albeit for less sporting reasons.

Veteran Hamilton is used to being the best: He has won six of the last seven world championships in Formula 1.

But this season, 23-year-old Max Verstappen has been tearing up his Red Bull team, especially lately. The Dutchman has won three Grands Prix in a row and competed at the British Grand Prix in pole position for the fourth time in a row this season.

This means Verstappen leads the entire Formula 1 circus by 185 points ahead of Sunday’s race at Silverstone. Hamilton is in 2nd place in the summary standing with 152 points.

But after Verstappen had to break and Hamilton secured the win, the Briton is now 177 points adrift, only seven points adrift of Verstappen.

The next race is the Hungarian GP on August 1. Then there will likely be another intense duel between Hamilton and Verstappen, should the Dutchman recover after Sunday’s crash.