Fernando Alonso has labelled Max Verstappen's defending from Kimi Raikkonen in Budapest last Sunday as “illegal”, while McLaren-Honda team-mate Jenson Button says “I can understand Kimi’s frustration”.
The Red Bull ace managed to resist the Ferrari driver over the final 15 laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was criticised by the Finn after the pair clashed at one point. Raikkonen was clearly not impressed with what he described as a change of direction under braking.
A chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association [GPDA], Button also thinks Verstappen stepped over the line.
“As drivers, we all know that moving in the braking zone is the most dangerous thing you can do because the guy [following] is at 300 kph and probably hasn’t hit the brakes yet,” the 2009 world champion.
“Braking is a no-no and he obviously did move in the braking zone, so I can understand Kimi’s frustration.”
Alonso, who forms the most experienced driver line-up with Button, sides with his former Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen as well.
“I think it was illegal,” the double world champion said of Verstappen's defending. “You are allowed to move once and commit to whatever you need to do. You can choose to brake on the clean side, the dirty side, on the inside, on the outside, you are allowed to do whatever you think is best to defend your position.
“But you are allowed to move once and not two or three times. That’s enough. That is not an opinion, it’s just the rule. If you take the ball with the hands outside the area it is a penalty and a red card, it’s nothing more.”
Verstappen, for his part, claimed that F1 greats Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost “would have liked” his defence.
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