Verstappen threatens to ‘punch’ Ocon as Hamilton wins Brazilian GP

SAO PAULO, Brazil: Dutch driver Max Verstappen was accused of trying to punch French rival Esteban Ocon after a controversial clash at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix which was won by five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull star Verstappen was seen on TV pushing Force India’s Ocon three times and accused of threatening to hit him, after the pair had collided on track.The collision on lap 44 of the 71-lap race at Interlagos’ famed Senna S curves cost Verstappen the race and he had to settle for second place.

The livid Dutchman, 21, had earlier said he did not see the Frenchman in the paddock after the race, but made no effort to avoid him in the drivers’ weighing room where he walked straight at him.

“We were at the scales room,” said Ocon. “He wanted to punch me. He pushed me and he was wanting to be violent. It was not professional.”Ocon added that his rivalry with Verstappen “goes back a few years” and said he “has always been the same”.

“I was behind Max for two laps,” Ocon told Sky Sports. “On the first lap, I was a lot faster and, on the second lap, I was a lot faster. The rules say you are allowed to un-lap yourself so that’s what I did.

“I’m used to the fights with Max. He’s always been the same. It goes back a few years.”Verstappen swore so much on team radio that his comments bleeped out after he described him as an “idiot”.Ocon was given a 10-second stop-go penalty by the race stewards for causing the collision.

A video clip of the post-race incident went viral soon afterwards but Verstappen said he had no regrets.“He came out of the pit lane and he had the right to overtake, but the level of risk he was taking, it was not right,” he explained.

“The stewards gave him a penalty. You can say, ‘Max, you should have given room’, but we were not racing and you don’t expect that.”Asked about confronting and pushing Ocon, he said: “We are all passionate about the sport, but it would be odd if I shook his hand. I don’t care what people say.

“I’m a winner. To get taken out by that and to get a stupid response from their side, I was not happy about that.”Verstappen told his team over the radio on the slowdown lap that he had better not bump into Ocon because there could be trouble.

The Ocon incident overshadowed a brilliant drive from Verstappen who had charged from fifth on the grid to take the lead.“The car was working brilliant today. I don’t know what to say. I am happy for second, but we should have won,” added Verstappen.

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Hamilton took advantage of the collision that cost Verstappen the lead in the closing stages to regain the initiative and then hang on with worn tyres as the Red Bull came home second.His win allowed Mercedes to claim a fifth successive constructors title.

Kimi Raikkonen finished third on his 150th start for Ferrari ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull, Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel who came home sixth for Ferrari.