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5. Lewis and Max get physical at Silverstone
By the time we reached the tenth race of the season, Mercedes had realised they had a major fight on their hands if they wanted to retain their twin crowns. After winning three of the first four races, Hamilton was now being beaten on a regular basis by Max Verstappen who had built up a 32 point lead in the drivers standings, with Red Bull also well ahead in the team battle. Mercedes had to find a way to respond, and fast. The next race was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hamilton's heartland.
Hamilton came out top in qualifying, but the sprint race dropped him behind Verstappen on the grid for the start of Sunday's race. The pair went wheel-to-wheel over the first half of the opening lap, and something had to give: the Mercedes clipped the right rear of the Red Bull, stripping the tyre from the rim and sending Verstappen sliding through the gravel trap. He was flung into the barrier with enough force to trigger a red flag and send Verstappen to the local hospital for precautionary medical checks.
Hamilton was given a ten second penalty for causing the collision, but the red flag gave Mercedes enough time to repair his car. With Verstappen out of the race he had more than enough pace to go on to win the race. Red Bull were incensed, not only by how the penalty had been completely ineffective but also by the scenes of Hamilton celebrating with jubilant British fans while Verstappen was still in the hospital. For the first time, the intense competitive rivalry between the drivers and their respective teams had acquired a keen personal edge as well.
