At Monza, Verstappen and Hamilton came together at the first corner after pit-stops, with Verstappen's car coming to rest on top of Hamilton's, putting both out of the race. Literally getting on top of Hamilton cost Verstappen a three-place grid penalty for the Russian GP at Sochi, and after taking a penalty for using a fourth engine, he started from last. But because of a heavy downpour with three laps remaining, he came through for second, much to the astonishment of Hamilton, who won the race, unbelievably his 100th grand prix victory, to re-take the championship lead.
Hamilton described Verstappen's last to second drive as "mega damage limitation", which it was.
But the real story of that race was the drive of pole-sitter Lando Norris, who had taken his first pole position in F1 in his McLaren and, with three laps to go, was headed for a first F1 victory. Unfortunately, while Mercedes called Hamilton in to switch to intermediate tyres, Norris elected to stay out.
The heavens opened up, and the chance of victory closed down for Norris, who slid off as Hamilton sailed by, not quite literally, to take that 100th victory, a total he will undoubtedly add to should Mercedes continue to give him the car that is at least equal to Verstappen's Red Bull.
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve says he believes Verstappen will win the title race because he is "superior" to Hamilton.
That seems an extraordinary opinion given Hamilton has 100 wins from 281 starts compared to Verstappen's 17 wins from 134 starts, including seven this year. But the latter is still only 24, whereas Hamilton is 36, so he has 12 years in theory to get near the numbers Hamilton is chalking up. However, Villeneuve's prediction is not based on the drivers' respective records, rather on who will make the least mistakes.
"Verstappen is superior," Villeneuve told Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper based in Milan. "He didn't make any real mistakes. He always went on the attack. Lewis instead showed weaknesses. And Mercedes as well, more than Red Bull."
"After Rosberg, he had an easy life," Villeneuve added. "Maybe he fell asleep a bit, this year he woke up with a start. But he remains a phenomenon."
Villeneuve, who Michael Schumacher tried unsuccessfully to punt off at Jerez in the last race of the 1997 championship, and came off second best, has a view on the two incidents between Hamilton and Verstappen at Silverstone and Monza.
"I don't know, that was an unintentional manoeuvre as well," he said of the Silverstone incident, while also believing Verstappen did nothing wrong at Monza.
"It was a mistake, and it annoys me that mistakes are punished. These two don't manage to stay within the limit. Lewis usually doesn't make these mistakes, it only happens with Max."
For his part, Hamilton says he doesn't bear any grudges against Verstappen for what's happened between them this season
"Me and Max, when we have seen each other after the race, I have always tried to be respectful whether he is first or he's behind me. I always try to make sure I go over to him, and it doesn't feel any different to me," Hamilton claims.
"Of course, we sat in the stewards' office the other day and it wasn't hostile - he gave his point of view, and I gave my point of view. I called him after Silverstone but, again, I don't mean to be patronising but I'm much older. It was important for me to call and to be able to break the ice. I wouldn't have been able to do that when I was 25.'
"I don't hold any hostility against him. I feel he's a tremendous talent and I'm enjoying racing with him. Whatever happens at the end of the year, we will shake hands and be back to fight again next year."
Asked if he would want to win because a collision between them decided the championship, Hamilton was adamant in his response. "There's never a question about that, I would never want to win in that way. If that means you don't win it all, at least you have your dignity. I wouldn't want to win any other way. You always want to win the right way."
What Hamilton has conveniently forgotten, is that when he battled Nico Rosberg for the 2016 championship, the scenario in the last race in Abu Dhabi, was if Hamilton won, Rosberg had to finish second to become champion. With several laps to go, Hamilton led Rosberg, and was slowing down to back Rosberg up into the path of Sebastian Vettel. The team basically had to tell him to stop doing it, and he somewhat begrudgingly obeyed the team order.
Former Dutch F1 driver Giedo van der Garde does not think the pressure will get to Verstappen, but if it goes down to the wire in Abu Dhabi, which it may well do, the experience of Hamilton will come into play.
"Of course, if they are still together at the end, there's a bit of experience involved in trying to win that title," he surmised. "Because how do you deal with that pressure? Lewis obviously has an advantage in that because he has already won seven world titles, and Max has never won a title. Max will feel a certain pressure he has never felt before. But on the other hand, with what I saw at Zandvoort, where of course everyone expected a victory from him, I do not foresee any issues in that area. He drove the stars from the sky at Zandvoort."
The title battle is understandably focused on Hamilton versus Verstappen, but Norris, and his British countryman George Russell, who will replace Bottas at Mercedes next year, are now being touted as the two drivers who may usurp Hamilton and Verstappen next
year.
But that is another story. For now, it is a battle between the current world champion with 100 wins to his name, versus the young, yet experienced, pretender to his crown.
As well as the intriguing battle between those two on the track, there is a personal and political battle off it between Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Mercedes questioned the legality of the Red Bull wing with the FIA and also about their pit stops, which they had got below the two-second mark, and the FIA reacted by forcing Red Bull to change the wing and brought in new rules to slow down the pit stops.
"When we competed against McLaren and Lewis was driving for them and when we were competing against Ferrari with Fernando Alonso and Stefano Domenicalli, it was a very different atmosphere to this one," Horner has observed.
"This has felt a lot more political with lots more going on behind the scenes. The inbox from Toto to the FIA, they are going to need a major clear-out at the end of the year."
Horner says he admits to enjoying winding Wolff up, something the latter says he finds "worrying", having called Horner a "windbag" earlier in the season.
Freddie Hunt, the son of 1976 world champion James Hunt, says while Verstappen is more like his late father than Hamilton is, he feels both drivers are contributing to the best season he has "ever experienced" since the epic 1976 battle between his father and Niki Lauda.
"What is similar to 1976, it's extremely tight and exciting. However, my dad and Niki Lauda were friends. Max and Lewis are not."
