Max Verstappen explains Lewis Hamilton dive-bomb thought process

Max Verstappen's late-braking lunge on Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1 on Lap 16 of the Hungarian Grand Prix was the move of the afternoon in Budapest, and the four-time F1 drivers' champion knew he could not afford to wait.

Hamilton had jumped Verstappen through the pit cycle following the first round of stops on lap 15, emerging in third place ahead of the Red Bull.

But Verstappen was having none of it. As both cleared Liam Lawson approaching the end of the main straight, the Dutchman threw the RB22 down the inside of Hamilton's Ferrari at Turn 1 with a perfectly judged dive-bomb to reclaim the final podium position.

"I knew that that was my only opportunity as well, because they were not too bad in terms of pace," the Dutchman told media, including RacingNews365.

"So, when I saw the opportunity arise, I went for it and, yeah, it was a good move."

At the same corner two years ago, Verstappen attempted a similar dive on Hamilton during their battle for third on Lap 63, meaning the 28-year-old's successful move will not be lost on either of them now.

The first time, it was perhaps overzealous, with the 71-time grand prix winner locking both front tyres, clipping the seven-time F1 drivers' champion's Mercedes and launching his Red Bull into the air.

The stewards deemed it a racing incident, but it was a messy end to a fierce scrap.

This time, however, Verstappen got it right. Clean entry, clean exit, position gained.

Hamilton did fight back later in the race, re-passing Verstappen in his third stint on fresher rubber. But a pit-lane speeding penalty under the Virtual Safety Car, triggered by Oscar Piastri's gearbox failure on lap 56, undid his work entirely.

Hamilton was classified fifth behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, while Verstappen held on to second behind race winner Lando Norris.