Entering the first corner, Verstappen was forced to cut the corner to avoid making contact with Lewis Hamilton. The team told Verstappen that he had to give the position back, with the Dutchman blaming the Hamilton for the incident before eventually giving up the place - a move that actually saw him lose P2 to both Antonelli and Hamilton.

Almost immediately, Verstappen made it clear over the team radio that he felt Hamilton was responsible for the situation: "Mate, what the f**k are you guys talking about? He would've shunted it. Like what are you guys talking about? If I just stay on the track, I am out of the race."

After the race, the incident came up in the green room, the area where the podium finishers wait before going on stage. Norris wondered what happened to Verstappen, asking: "Why did you have to let people past?" Antonelli admitted he didn’t know what was happening. "I was so confused."

Verstappen responded and explained what happened. "Because with Lewis, he clipped a bit the kerb, and I was like 'well, we're going to hit each other'. So I was like 'just cut the corner then." The drivers then noticed that Hamilton was having brake issues. "Immediately I let him by, he had massive brake problems. I really lost four seconds," said Verstappen. "That’s why you lost so much," Antonelli concludes.

Speaking after the race, Antonelli conceded Norris' slow stop during the Grand Prix was crucial for his victory. He said: "It was a very difficult race - not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres.