TV cameras show what Lewis Hamilton said to Max Verstappen after epic Austrian Grand Prix battle

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Lewis Hamilton’s battles with Max Verstappen were arguably the highlight of Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Verstappen started third and fifth respectively but found themselves scrapping for second after gaining ground at the start. The Ferrari driver initially held off the Red Bull, who dipped his wheels in the gravel on the exit of turn six.

But when Verstappen had a tyre offset later in the race, he was able to force his way past Hamilton at the very same corner. The Dutchman went on to finish P2 as his old rival fell away to fifth.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen shake hands over ‘nice race’ at Austrian Grand Prix

Verstappen said over the radio it was ‘clear’ that Hamilton deserved a penalty after their first tussle. The stewards noted the incident, but took no further action.

After Verstappen’s aggressive but ultimately clean move in the second stint, there were no such complaints from the British driver. Instead, he simply told his team that he was lacking grip and power compared to the Red Bull.

In the media pen after the race, cameras from French broadcaster Canal+ captured a magnanimous Hamilton saying ‘good race, man’ to Verstappen and shaking his hand.

And speaking to Viaplay, Hamilton said he was impressed by Red Bull’s upgrades this weekend, which shed the excess weight that had been holding them back in the early rounds.

“That was mainly due to the weight package,” he said of Verstappen’s impressive performance. “They reduced the weight by almost 10 kilos, so that is a huge asset, really well done by them.”

• READ MORE: Fred Vasseur defends Ferrari strategy as he highlights Lewis Hamilton’s ‘real issue’ in Austria

Hamilton had come out on top when fighting Verstappen for P2 at the Canadian GP last month, but he knows Red Bull will now be a tougher opponent after approaching the weight limit.

Only 1.6 seconds behind George Russell at the chequered flag, Verstappen nearly became just the second non-Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix this year after Hamilton himself.