AUSTIN, Texas -- Max Verstappen stuck up his middle finger at Lewis Hamilton during practice for the U.S. Grand Prix after being forced off the track by his championship rival.
Ten minutes into the session, Hamilton pushed Verstappen onto the run-off area at the final corner as both drivers prepared to attempt quick laps. Hamilton then drove down the start-finish straight alongside Verstappen squeezing him to the side of the track on the approach Turn 1 and forcing Verstappen to abort his fast lap attempt.
Verstappen stuck up his middle finger and said "stupid idiot" over his car radio, prompting his race engineer to tell him to ignore Hamilton and focus on his run plan.
Asked after the session what had happened, Verstappen said: "Yeah, I dunno, we were all lining up to go for a lap so I don't really understand what happened there".
Verstappen leads Hamilton by just six points in the championship fight, which is already being called one of the greatest in the sport's history. The pair have collided twice already in races this season, once at the British Grand Prix and again at the Italian Grand Prix.
They continue the battle at the U.S. Grand Prix on Oct. 24, which is live on ABC at 1.30PM Eastern Time.