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Annoyed: Max Verstappen
Photo:
SHAWN THEW / EPA
After a wheel-to-wheel maneuver in training over the entire start and finish straight, World Championship leader Max Verstappen insulted world champion Lewis Hamilton as a "stupid idiot" and showed him the middle finger.
During the incident in the second free practice session for the Austin Grand Prix, the Dutchman felt that the Red Bull had lost his chance for a fast lap.
He finished the session on Friday with the eighth fastest time.
After the clearly better times in the first practice session, the Silver Arrows were no longer so superior in the second session in the afternoon and had to give up the best time to Sergio Pérez in the Red Bull.
His team-mate Verstappen did not make the very fast lap he had hoped for.
"I've had enough," radioed the world championship leader after he was prevented from driving again by other cars.
In the first practice session, Verstappen was the only driver less than a second behind the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton.
With the asphalt temperatures of 38 degrees in the afternoon, Pérez and Lando Norris were faster in the McLaren than Hamilton and Bottas.
With five wins from the previous eight races, Hamilton is the favorite for the race on Sunday (9 p.m., TV: Sky).
But Verstappen has also had good results in the past on the circuit that is popular with drivers.
“It's a good track, a course where you can enjoy driving.
You can definitely overtake here, that's what makes it special, ”he said on Thursday.
Penalties for Bottas, Vettel and Russell
Positive for Red Bull: Bottas, like Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin and George Russell in the Williams, got a new engine and will be punished for it on the grid on Sunday.
He has to move five places back.
"We're suffering a bit in terms of reliability this year, I think that's the sixth engine for Valtteri," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
Vettel and Russell each get their fourth drive unit.
Because they changed other parts, both of them have to start the race from the back of the field.
sak / dpa