Hamilton's remarkable statements explained: 'More mindgames'

Asked for his interpretation of Lewis Hamilton's remarkable statements during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo argues that Hamilton may be looking to re-enter the battle with Verstappen on a psychological level as well.

"Maybe it is a bit of a way to engage in some mind games", Ricciardo began in an interview during the unveiling of the Gulf-McLaren livery for in Monaco. Here, the Australian is responding to a statement made by Lewis Hamilton during qualifying in Spain, when he said he learned a lot by driving behind Verstappen's Red Bull.

"You can tell if, and I'm not saying this was that situation, but particularly pre F1, when you’re stalking someone, you can see when they're starting to slide the car more, lock a brake, or drop a wheel here", the former Red Bull driver continued, believing Hamilton may have wanted to gauge how Verstappen was coping with the pressure in Barcelona.

"We obviously can't see them, but if you picture them without a helmet on, at that moment, their expressions would be tense. Perhaps he's referring to that. And maybe Max was like erratic. I don't know, but it could just be something that's nothing", Ricciardo concluded.