Lewis Hamilton offers withering assessment of Max Verstappen’s driving in wake of the world champion’s clash with Lando Norris in Mexico, insisting he hasn’t changed since their infamous world title battle in 2021

Lewis Hamilton has claimed that Max Verstappen still has not learned his lesson after calling him a ‘dangerous’ driver in their 2021 title race.

The Red Bull star is reportedly facing a five-place penalty for the Brazilian GP this weekend after two separate incidents with title rival Lando Norris in Mexico.

Verstappen was hit with a 20-second penalty at the Mexican GP as a result and McLaren ace Norris branded him ‘dangerous’.

The Dutchman is just 47 points ahead of Norris with 120 left in the bag to collect.

And Hamilton has insisted that Verstappen has not changed since the 2021 season, when he passed the Englishman on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP to win the title. 

Lewis Hamilton believes Max Verstappen is still driving ‘the same’ as when he called him ‘dangerous’ in 2021

Verstappen was handed two penalties in Mexico on Sunday for incidents with Lando Norris

McLaren ace Norris is now just 47 points behind Verstappen with four race weekends to go

‘All you have to do is go back and listen to some of my radio comments back in the day,’ said Hamilton.

‘If I was in the battle I could lean in more to it but you have to ask those two [Verstappen and Norris] because they are the ones that it is affecting.

‘But I don’t think you are seeing much difference across the years from 2021 until now, it’s pretty much the same.’

In the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Jeddah, Hamilton believed that Verstappen slowed down deliberately on lap 37 to ‘brake test’ him.

Hamilton swerved but collided with Verstappen’s rear-left tyre with the right-hand side of his front wing. Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for erratic driving but that was not enough for him to lose a place. 

‘He just brake-tested me,’ Hamilton said over his team radio at the time. ‘That was dangerous driving.’

After the race, he added: ‘I’ve raced a lot of drivers in my life, in the 28 years. There’s a few at the top which are over the limit. Rules kinda don’t apply, or they don’t think of the rules.

‘He’s over the limit, for sure. I’ve avoided collision on so many occasions with the guy.’

Norris accused Verstappen of ‘dangerous’ driving after he made contact with him twice 

The Dutch Red Bull driver faced pressure from Norris with the pair clashing during the race

Seconds later, the rivals resumed their bitter fight and, taking advantage of the commotion, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc nipped in to make it a team one-two with Sainz

Verstappen then radioed his support team: ‘Mate what can I do with a empty battery? What is this stupid mode?’

Verstappen was handed two separate 10-second penalties within minutes of each other for his driving at Turns Four and Eight over the weekend. 

He was adjudged to have forced Norris off the track at Turn Four, for which he was given his first penalty.

Verstappen also forced Norris off four turns later, regaining a position, and was later penalised for gaining an advantage by going off the circuit.

F1 legend Damon Hill accused Verstappen of ‘Dick Dastardly stuff’. Dick Dastardly was a character in a TV series in 1960s TV series Wacky Races, who would try and win races using by underhand tactics.

But Verstappen, who finished sixth in Mexico while Norris came second behind Carlos Sainz, hit back: ‘I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I am a three-time world champion, and I know what I am doing. I have my opinions, and I don’t need to share them.’