10/06/2025 12:35
Former F1 driver Sebastien Buemi has revealed that he was
"surprised" by Lewis Hamilton not defending from Nico Hulkenberg in
Barcelona, whilst Max Verstappen refused to "give up" against
George Russell. The closing laps of the Spanish Grand Prix threw
up multiple shocks, the first of which being Verstappen driving
into the side of Russell at Turn 5. Verstappen was on slower tyres
and was also told by Red Bull to let Russell past, following an
incident three laps prior with the Mercedes driver. He opted
against returning the position, before driving into the Briton. It
resulted in a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points,
putting the Dutchman on the brink of a race ban. Whilst Verstappen
refused to give up, Stake F1's Hulkenberg breezed past Hamilton on
the run into the first corner, having opted against defending the
inside line. Opting against defending against Hulkenberg cost
Hamilton a top five finish, whilst Verstappen's aggressive actions
saw him demoted to 10th. When asked on the RacingNews365 podcast
what he made of the Red Bull driver's clash with Russell, Buemi
answered: "Yeah, of course, everyone has a different view. He was
on the hard tyres, it was obviously very difficult. "He had that
moment coming out of the last corner. We all know Max, he fights,
he's not just going to give up like that. On the other hand, I got
a bit surprised when Lewis got overtaken by Hulkenberg. "I
thought, looking from the outside again, I would have thought he
would close the door, but somehow he didn't. "And, I mean, Max,
when you watch, he's not going to give up, he's going to fight very
hard. So, of course, where is the limit is always difficult, but
within that he's not going to give up."
