Max Verstappen suffers another first-lap crash as Valtteri Bottas takes out both Red Bulls in Hungary

Max Verstappen‘s attempt to put a heavy crash at Silverstone behind him was wrecked by Valtteri Bottas after the Mercedes driver lost control on the entry to Turn One.

The Dutch driver started the race in third, directly behind title rival Lewis Hamilton, and overtook Bottas off the line as the Finnish driver struggled to accelerate in the damp conditions.

He was also overtaken by the McLaren of Lando Norris, into the back of whose car he then careered as he failed to brake early enough for Turn One, eventually forcing McLaren to retire the car.

The shunt into Norris’ rear set off a series of crashes as the British driver was powerless to stop his car hitting Verstappen’s Red Bull, before Bottas, with a broken left wheel, skidded into the Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez.

The Mexican was forced to retire, calling Bottas “an idiot” over team radio

“Bottas made a big mistake. It’s a big shame. It’s a massive blow for us and the team,” Perez said.

Asked if he felt the stewards should give Bottas a penalty for his actions, he replied: “We’ll leave it down to [the stewards].”

Verstappen meanwhile was able to continue limping around the Hungaroring.

However, he was subsequently told by the team that his whole right bargeboard had been destroyed, a crucial piece of aerodynamic equipment, something the crew were then given the opportunity to replace when the race was red-flagged a few minutes later to deal with the large amounts of debris on the track.

“Sorry guys, that’s it,” said Bottas after his crash, seemingly accepting blame for the incident.

Verstappen fumed over the radio, asking “what the f___ happened there?” before being told he had been hit by one of the McLarens.