‘It’s time for full-time referees’: Lewis Hamilton blasts F1 standards after Max Verstappen & Lando Norris clash

Lewis Hamilton, who once fiercely battled Max Verstappen for the Formula 1 World Championship, has now spoken out about Verstappen’s bold racecraft after a controversial penalty decision at the United States Grand Prix. In a high-stakes race where Charles Leclerc ultimately claimed victory, Verstappen’s manoeuvres against Lando Norris raised fresh concerns around racing guidelines.

Hamilton is calling for changes to address what he describes as a long-standing “grey area” in F1’s driving rules. The incident occurred as Norris and Verstappen contended for the final podium position. Verstappen and Norris both started strong, with Norris initially taking the lead from the pole, only for Verstappen to launch an aggressive move down the inside at Turn 1.

This forced both drivers wide, allowing Charles Leclerc a clear path to take the lead. Later, as Lando Norris attempted an outside pass at Turn 12, both drivers went off-track. Norris re-entered ahead, believing he had gained position fairly, but the stewards disagreed, hitting him with a five-second penalty that cost him the podium.

What did Lewis Hamilton say?

Reflecting on the situation, Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration with what he sees as Max Verstappen’s “long history” of getting away with risky moves. “It’s always been a grey area,” Hamilton explained to reporters. “They probably need to make some adjustments for sure. Also, we do have inconsistencies weekend in, weekend out, depending on which stewards are there”, he further added. 

“And as a sport, we do need to level up in all areas. We look at like other global sports, they have full-time refs for example, and I’m sure that wouldn’t be a bad thing for our sport. But, yeah, you shouldn’t be able to… I mean, I experienced it many times with Max and you shouldn’t be able to just launch the car up the inside over your head and then go off and still hold your position”, concludes Hamilton.