Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are genuine rivals again for the first time since their epic fight for the 2021 drivers’ crown. Having swept to four F1 titles in a row with Mercedes between 2017 and 2020, Hamilton was pipped by Verstappen in dramatic and controversial circumstances at the Abu Dhabi finale in ‘21 thanks after then race director Michael Masi’s questionable handling of a late-race safety period.

That looked set to pave the way for many more years of battles between the generational talents. However, Red Bull’s mastering of the new regulations, introduced for 2022, coupled with Mercedes’ failure to get to grips with them, led to two seasons of Red Bull/Verstappen dominance.

To the relief of F1 fans, who want to see a fight at the front, Red Bull have been reeled in by their rivals in 2024, with Mercedes winning three of the last four races, two of which going to Hamilton. With Hamilton on a record-equalling seven titles and Verstappen on course for a fourth in a row, debate over which is the best has raged for years.

Back during his years of dominance, some Hamilton detractors pointed to the superiority of his Mercedes. Similarly, Verstappen, despite his brilliance, has clearly benefitted from being in an Adrian Newey-designed Red Bull.

Back in 2019, Hamilton came up with a mouth-watering solution to settle the debate – for Verstappen to join him at Mercedes. He said at the time: “I see positives and potential negatives. In some ways, it would work well for me. I see stories that we have different cars and that is the only way [I beat him], so that would give me the opportunity to show that is not the case.”

The chance of Hamilton and Verstappen going head to head in the same team looked to have passed now. While it would be no surprise to see Verstappen at Mercedes one day – with team principal Toto Wolff making no secret of his desire to sign the Dutchman – Hamilton, 39, is heading for Ferrari, which will almost certainly be his final team in F1.

The incident added to their lengthy list of on-track collisions. Verstappen was already in combative mood, having raged at race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase throughout the race.

Quizzed on Verstappen’s antics at the following Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton cuttingly advised: “You have to act as a team leader. Remember you are a team-mate to lots of people and you have to act like a world champion. Not like it was last weekend…”