Helmut Marko shares who was to blame in Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton clash in Hungary

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Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s latest spat came when they were embroiled in a battle for third place in the closing stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen made an attempt to pass his old championship rival on the inside of Turn 1 while braking, but as Hamilton moved across to take the corner the Dutchman locked up both front wheels and ran deep.

This caused him to tag the front right of Hamilton’s Mercedes, pitching the Red Bull RB20 into the air and bouncing off into the escape road, before returning to the circuit.

The collision caused Verstappen to drop back to fifth place, while Hamilton continued without damage and finished in third place. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has given a surprise verdict on the crash when speaking to Austrian TV ORF.

Helmut Marko issues blame in Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton clash at Hungary

It is not the first time Hamilton and Verstappen have clashed on track, with this most recent incident mimicking their crash at the 2021 Italian GP when McLaren last had a one-two finish.

Martin Brundle felt the Dutchman carried too much speed into the corner and caused the collision with Hamilton.

The stewards summoned both after the race but later deemed neither driver was at fault for the crash, however, Marko feels there is some blame to be laid.

“In the end, Max began an overtaking manoeuvre, but the car was not out of control,” said Marko.

“If Hamilton had not catapulted him into the air with the front wheel, he would have had everything under control.”

Why Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen escaped penalties

The stewards ruling hinged largely on whether Hamilton moved under braking when attempting to defend from Verstappen.

Hamilton argued that it was a “racing incident” while Verstappen felt he was changing direction, which is not permitted in the rules when entering a braking zone.

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The stewards examined video evidence, timing and telemetry data, and found that Hamilton took the same line and that it did not warrant a penalty, but noted that he could have done more to avoid the collision.

It is the second collision in three races Verstappen has been caught up in, after getting involved in a crash with Lando Norris during the Austrian GP which ultimately prevented both from winning the race.