Max Verstappen hit with five-second penalty after colliding with Lewis Hamilton at the Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen has been hit with a five-second penalty after an early collision with Lewis Hamilton during the Brazilian Grand Prix.

After another incident forced a safety car, the two rivals collided after the restart on lap six, with Charles Leclerc also sustaining damage during the drama.

The two-time F1 champion was able to blame Hamilton via his team radio, claiming the Mercedes star “leaved me no room”.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided during lap six of the Brazilian Grand Prix

However, in the aftermath of the collision, Hamilton told his race engineer that “that was not a racing incident, mate”, with the race chiefs agreeing with his assessment and penalizing the Dutchman for the incident.

After a fierce rivalry last season that ended with one of the most dramatic and controversial races in motorsport history at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton and Verstappen were largely out of promotion this year.

But that changed when the pair raced in first place behind Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Verstappen had to pit stop after the incident due to damage to his front wing

The coming together proved significantly more damaging to the Red Bull star, as Verstappen was forced into the pits for a new front wing. In combination with the time penalty of five seconds, the reigning champion had to return to 17th place.

Hamilton, meanwhile, came out of the clash relatively unscathed and eventually finished second behind Russell in the penultimate race of the 2022 World Championship.

After the race, the experienced driver congratulated his teammate on his success.

“Big congratulations to George. What a great ride he has had today. He did a great job in qualifying yesterday, so he really deserves it.

Hamilton, meanwhile, suffered relatively little damage from the collision and finished the race in second

“For my team, so proud of everyone in the factory and here, this is an incredible result. We’ve worked so hard this year to get a one-two, or to win, so this is huge, hugely deserved from everyone, thank you so much.”

When asked for his opinion on the collision early in the race, Hamilton expressed frustration with his rival.

‘What can I say? You know how Max is.’

Verstappen eventually finished sixth, but was criticized after the race for refusing an order from Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to allow his teammate Sergio Perez to overtake him on the last lap.