Max Verstappen unleashes sweary tirade after 'massive' Lewis Hamilton moment in Monaco
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has blamed a computer issue for an ugly blocking incident with Max Verstappen that's earned him a three-place grid drop for the Monaco Grand Prix.
At the end of the opening part of qualifying, Verstappen was climbing the hill at Beau Rivage when he came across Hamilton's slow-moving Ferrari at the turn-in at Massenet.
Thankfully, Verstappen was able to keep his Red Bull out of the wall despite having to drive onto the dirty side of the track.
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Max Verstappen was heavily impeded by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix. FOX Sports
"F--k, woah! Mate! F--k, Lewis! Massive impeding, that," Verstappen fumed over team radio.
Replays showing Hamilton's team radio showed he had been given conflicting information from his race engineer Riccardo Adami.
He was initially told Verstappen was on a push lap, and then that he had slowed down.
The incident did not stop either driver from progressing through to the second part of the session. Both were seen speaking in the pit lane immediately after the session.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen talk after qualifying. Formula 1 via Getty Images
"I don't know if there was some sort of issue with the computer screen. It said that Max was on a lap, and then it disappeared and said it wasn't," Hamilton explained.
"They told me he was on a lap, so I moved to the side ... then they realised he wasn't on the lap, so they told me and I started to accelerate.
"I stayed fully to the left. And I wasn't on the racing line, but of course it was distracting for Max."
Verstappen said he had no ill-feelings towards Hamilton, with whom he's shared some monumental on-track battles.
"It's not nice ... the team told him I was driving slow when I was clearly driving fast," he said.
"It's not Lewis' fault. I already spoke to him about it. It's the team's mistake."
Setting the fourth-quickest time represented an incredible comeback for Hamilton after he crashed at Massenet - the same spot he impeded Verstappen - in the dying minutes of the final practice session earlier in the day.
Lando Norris took pole for McLaren from home hero Charles Leclerc, who had swept each of the three preceeding practice sessions.
Oscar Piastri will line up third. The race begins at 11pm AEST.
