Max Verstappen expressed surprise over the stewards' decision to investigate his on-track battle with Lewis Hamilton during the Hungarian Grand Prix, especially as no contact was made and both drivers continued without incident.
The flashpoint came on Lap 29 at Turn 4 as the two multiple world champions fought over 11th place at the Hungaroring.
Verstappen made a bold move up the inside of Hamilton, prompting the Briton to veer off track, seemingly to avoid a collision.
At the time, there was uncertainty over whether the cars had touched.
Max Verstappen expressed surprise over the stewards' decision to investigate his on-track battle with Lewis Hamilton during the Hungarian Grand Prix, especially as no contact was made and both drivers continued without incident
|REUTERS
Rather than making an immediate judgment, the stewards deferred their decision until after the race to gather input from both drivers.
Hamilton, however, opted not to attend the hearing, with his rival ultimately escaping punishment.
Verstappen defended his move, arguing that he had left enough room and was in control of his car throughout the manoeuvre.
“I went for a move at the inside. Of course it's a fast corner, but with downforce you're a bit more under control anyway," Verstappen said.
JUST IN: Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal players 'turned down by Sydney Sweeney' after she split from fiance
"I think he realised very late that I was up the inside there, so then he turned out of it a little bit and then of course went off the track.
"And that was it. Yeah, we didn't touch, nothing happened.”
Despite his pass not fully meeting the wheel-to-mirror rule - a regulation stating a car must have its front axle alongside the rival’s mirror at the apex to fairly claim the corner - the stewards concluded no penalty was necessary.
Their view was that the threshold for wrongdoing had not been met.
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham sports major scar following shoulder surgery that will see him out for months
Max Verstappen was only able to finish ninth during Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix
|REUTERS
Speaking before the verdict, Verstappen made it clear he was puzzled by the investigation itself.
“Well, the thing is that nothing happens. We didn't even touch," he said.
"That's the thing. So, for me, it's a bit difficult to understand why we have the investigation after the race.
"We explained our side — well, Lewis is not there, but we explained our sides of the story.
"I don't think Lewis actually felt a lot for it because if he really felt something for it, then of course he's there in the stewards room, right?”
Verstappen also downplayed the significance of the incident in the broader context of the weekend, with both drivers far off their usual pace.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Max Verstappen has admitted Red Bull's performance 'was not good' during the Hungarian Grand Prix
|REUTERS
“I think both of us didn't have the best of weekends anyway, so that's just one little thing," he added.
"The more important thing is that we have to look at our performance, which was not good.”
Ultimately, Verstappen retained ninth place and avoided further sanction, while Hamilton ended a disappointing race outside the points.