Toto Wolff did, however, call Verstappen’s driving at Turn 1, after the Red Bull driver had been held up by Hamilton at the final corner with just 12 seconds remaining in Q1, a “revenge foul”.
Verstappen in turn expressed his annoyance at Hamilton’s driving in the incident and then claimed the second part of what happened was simply “a bit of a shame”.
Hamilton was preparing for a final Q1 effort as the seconds kicked down to the chequered flag, having had his best time deleted in the first part of the weekend’s second qualifying session for running too wide at the final corner – a lap that would have been enough to progress had it been legal.
He was driving slowly to build a gap to Yuki Tsunoda ahead and was not warned about Verstappen’s fast arrival on a flying lap by Mercedes until the Dutchman was right behind him.
The pair then accelerated onto the pit straight, where Hamilton began his flier and Verstappen finished his before the Red Bull then out-dragged and overtook the Mercedes approaching the first corner.
Verstappen then appeared not to accelerate as normal from the uphill, 90-degree right-hander before gesticulating angrily at Hamilton from the cockpit of his RB19, while aboard the W14 Hamilton said, “Verstappen just quit his lap”.
The result of the incident meant Hamilton did not have time to set another lap and he was subsequently knocked out in 18th, where he started the Red Bull Ring weekend’s first race, while Verstappen went through with the second-quickest Q1 time.
He set his personal best in that segment even after coming across Hamilton in Turn 10.
Source: Autosport