Max Verstappen Explains Overtake on Lewis Hamilton with a Simple Answer

Max Verstappen wins Overtake of the Month award and explains his Canadian Grand Prix move on Lewis Hamilton with a single sentence: "I pressed my battery button and... yeah, somehow had a bit more horsepower than Lewis."

What happened?

At a fan stage event, Verstappen was handed a trophy and asked to explain his Overtake of the Month move on Hamilton. The Dutch driver pointed at a replay screen and broke down the move with a level of sarcasm he has used to explain the current regulations. Verstappen attacked from the inside through Turn 1, completing an overtake on Hamilton's Ferrari that moved him up to third position.

Why it matters for Max Verstappen

The 2026 regulations introduce power units that are fundamentally unlike anything seen in the previous era. Electrical output has climbed from 120kW to 350kW, meaning the battery and combustion engine now contribute roughly equal shares of the total power. The Boost Button, which Verstappen referred to, is a manual deployment tool that temporarily redirects the hybrid system's stored energy to unlock the car's full output-up to 450 horsepower when fully engaged.

What comes next?

Managing what you have, and when to spend it, has become a defining skill in 2026. Verstappen himself has been considerably less cheerful about the changes. After the Chinese Grand Prix, he called the ruleset "fundamentally flawed" and described it as "playing Mario Kart." At Silverstone more recently, he was blunter still: "You can overtake on one straight and then you don't have battery for the next straight. I'm not going to say anything more about it."

Lando Norris added: "So, I overtake him, and then I have no battery left, so he just flies past. This is not racing, this is yo-yoing." Hamilton, on the receiving end of Verstappen's tap of the battery button at Montreal, admitted: "It's like 10 times harder than normal because you have to calculate in how much battery power you have, and in one straight, and the next straight, and the next straight."

The Canadian Grand Prix took place on June 18, 2026, with Verstappen's overtake on Hamilton moving him up to third position. The 2026 regulations have brought significant changes to the sport, and Verstappen's comments reflect the challenges that drivers are facing in adapting to the new rules.

Verstappen's overtake on Hamilton was a key moment in the Canadian Grand Prix, and it has sparked a wider debate about the impact of the 2026 regulations on the sport. As the season continues, it will be interesting to see how drivers and teams adapt to the new rules and how they affect the outcome of races.

The 2026 regulations have brought a new level of complexity to Formula 1, with drivers now having to manage their battery power and hybrid system to unlock the car's full potential. Verstappen's comments reflect the challenges that drivers are facing in adapting to the new rules, and it remains to be seen how the sport will evolve in the coming months.

The Canadian Grand Prix took place on June 18, 2026, with Verstappen's overtake on Hamilton moving him up to third position. The 2026 regulations have brought significant changes to the sport, and Verstappen's comments reflect the challenges that drivers are facing in adapting to the new rules.

Verstappen's overtake on Hamilton was a key moment in the Canadian Grand Prix, and it has sparked a wider debate about the impact of the 2026 regulations on the sport. As the season continues, it will be interesting to see how drivers and teams adapt to the new rules and how they affect the outcome of races.

The 2026 regulations have brought a new level of complexity to Formula 1, with drivers now having to manage their battery power and hybrid system to unlock the car's full potential. Verstappen's comments reflect the challenges that drivers are facing in adapting to the new rules, and it remains to be seen how the sport will evolve in the coming months.

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