Max Verstappen threw a friendly wave at Lewis Hamilton from the cockpit of his Red Bull car after the British Grand Prix in a move that was reciprocated by the seven-time world champion. The home hero narrowly missed out on scoring his first podium as a Ferrari driver, losing out to Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, who recorded his first-ever top-three finish in his 239th Grand Prix start.
Hamilton had climbed onto the rostrum in each of the last 12 races at Silverstone but couldn’t repeat his 2024 heroics in a weather-affected thriller on Sunday. Verstappen, meanwhile, had a race to forget. The reigning world champion started from pole position after a remarkable qualifying effort, but Red Bull’s ultra-low downforce rear wing caused problems in the wet conditions, and he quickly slipped behind both McLaren drivers.
From there, he jumped eventual race winner Lando Norris in the pit cycle, but spun on the safety car restart in an unforced error, dropping him to 10th place. Verstappen was then forced to scrap his way back to fifth on the road in a damage limitation afternoon that all but ended his Drivers’ Championship hopes.
Despite the disappointment, he showed appreciation for his rivals’ performances. On the cooldown lap, Verstappen pulled alongside Hamilton’s Ferrari and raised his hand to show respect to his former title rival, who duly responded with an albeit less pronounced wave.
However, despite scoring strong points for Ferrari on a day where his team-mate struggled in P14, Hamilton was unhappy after the chequered flag. “Not the result that I was hoping for, but I got some points still,” he said. “It was the most difficult car I’ve driven here.”