For the first time since the F1 final season in Abu Dhabi in 2021, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will return to the racetrack together on Wednesday afternoon.
For the first time since their contentious Abu Dhabi championship final, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will join the circuit in Barcelona on Wednesday afternoon.
Since the conclusion of last season’s finale, when Verstappen beat Hamilton on the final lap in controversial circumstances, the sport’s two biggest stars, one from Mercedes and one from Red Bull, have not been in each other’s presence.
With only a few circuits remaining in the Middle East, Hamilton had made his way back into the title lead before a late Safety Car allowed Verstappen to pit for new, fresher tyres than his adversary.
With backmarkers situated between the two title contenders, Mercedes decided to keep Hamilton out on worn tyres in the hopes that the race would not be resumed in time.
However, in a controversial move, then-Race Director Michael Masi chose to clear only five of the lapped automobiles, giving Verstappen and Hamilton an opportunity to fight it out for the last lap.
After a winter in which F1 fans feared Hamilton might retire, Masi was replaced as Race Director by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas.
Hamilton and Verstappen to share the track again
After Mercedes and Red Bull announced their driving schedules for this week’s Barcelona test, the two drivers will be on track together for the first time since Abu Dhabi on Wednesday afternoon for a four-hour session (13:00 GMT-17:00 GMT).
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Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez will both drive the new Red Bull RB18 for one day, with the two likely sharing track time on Friday.
Mercedes, on the other hand, has chosen to keep fans guessing about their Thursday and Friday plans, saying only that George Russell (morning) and Hamilton (afternoon) will exchange track time on Wednesday.
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