Lewis Hamilton addresses Max Verstappen run-in: “I tried to apologise but…”

Lewis Hamilton has owned up to impeding Max Verstappen during second practice for F1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Hamilton got in the way of one of Verstappen’s fast laps in the second half of FP2.

Up until that point, Verstappen had been struggling with the balance of his RB20, ultimately setting the seventh-fastest time.

Hamilton tried to get out of Verstappen’s way through the opening sequence of corners but the Red Bull driver’s lap was ruined.

Verstappen couldn’t hide his frustration, gesturing to Hamilton from the cockpit before cutting across his former F1 title rival.

The Dutchman took a dim view on the clash after the session, saying “it’s not the first time”.

Giving his side to the story, Verstappen said: “Jeez. I was on a cooldown lap. I thought that I was well clear.

“I would have been well clear. But, all of a sudden, he was right on me. Ultimately, it was my mistake. I tried to apologise but he was too frustrated already.”

Aside from that it was a positive day for Mercedes with the team introducing a number of upgrades.

Hamilton believes they’re having an impact already.

“It has been a good start to the weekend,” he added. “We are a lot closer than we have been. Or it seemed. We will see how tomorrow goes.

“Really grateful to everyone back at the factory for pushing hard to bring these upgrades. We are seeing improvements in the car, and our performance on track.”

George Russell backed up his teammate in FP2, with both Mercedes inside the top five.

Assessing his day, Russell said: “The car is feeling great today. Lewis and I both had a really good feeling behind the wheel, which was nice.

“Reasonably competitive, slightly closer than we showed in Miami.

I am sure everyone will find out, come qualifying, where we truly stand.

“I think McLaren are the favourites at the moment, and probably the quickest again. They have been so fast since China.

“Nevertheless, the team has done a great job to bring these new parts to the car. It is a step forward.”