Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has launched a new attack on Max Verstappenclaims the driver has always been good at exploiting the gray areas of the rules which saw him avoid a penalty after last weekend’s collision with Lando Norris in the US Grand Prix. Hamilton also called out FIA for “inconsistencies in rulings, weekend in, weekend out.”

While Ferrari stole the show last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas with a 1-2 finish, the true highlight came from the intense Norris-Verstappen clash. In the closing stages of the race, Norris was determined to find an opening to overtake the Dutchman. On lap 52 at turn 12, he took the outside line on a left-hander, only to be forced off the track by Verstappen’s Red Bull RB20.

Verstappen also crossed the white line in the process, which led to Norris passing him off the track and crossing the finish line ahead of him in third. However, the FIA ​​stewards issued a 5-second penalty to Norris for completing the overtaking off-track and failing to recover the position. That put Verstappen in third, followed by the British driver in fourth.

The controversy has spread to the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, as McLaren has requested one right of appealwhich aims for the FIA ​​stewards to overturn the penalty. Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion noted that Verstappen has skilfully exploited the gray areas of the rulebook, drawing from his own past experience as a victim of such tactics. To talk to mediahe said:

– It has always been a gray area.

“That’s why he (Verstappen) got away with it for so long.

“I’ve experienced that many times with Max. You shouldn’t just be able to push the car up the inside and be ahead and then get off, and still hold the position.”

In an interview with Sky Sports F1Hamilton compared the USGP incident to his clash with Verstappen in 2021 during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, when the two drivers made contact mid-race as Verstappen tried to push through on the inside lane, forcing Hamilton to go wide. Although the Red Bull driver received a 5-second penalty, Hamilton has asked for a review of the rules to discourage such behaviour. He said:

“It’s interesting that people are talking about it now because the same thing happened to me in 2021.

“If you take into account Brazil, for example, under braking you are ahead, but then the car (on the inside) just comes off the brake and doesn’t make the corner and you have to go alongside. Then they say you both went wide but you had no choice because you had to avoid a collision.

“Definitely something needs to be done about it because it’s happening a lot now. You shouldn’t be able to let off the brakes, drive more speed, go off the track and still hold your place.”

In addition, the 39-year-old has called for consistency in the FIA’s decisions, stressing that Formula 1 needs full-time stewards like other sports where the referees are fixed. He said:

“They (F1 and the FIA) probably need to make some adjustments, for sure.

“Also, you have inconsistencies in decisions, weekend in, weekend out, obviously depending on which managers are there.

“As a sport, we need to level up in all areas. You look at other global sports, they have full-time referees, and I’m sure that wouldn’t be a bad thing for our sport.”