Formula 1 fans noticed how Max Verstappen reacted to being beaten to British Grand Prix glory by his old rival Lewis Hamilton on Sunday.

The Dutchman struggled in the early stages of the race but was coming on strong at the end. He overtook Lando Norris with a few laps to go and set about hunting down Hamilton ahead, but ran out of time and the seven-time F1 champion won for the first time since December 2021.

Overcome with emotion, the 39-year-old was in tears under his helmet while saluting the Silverstone crowd on his cool down lap. And it wasn’t just in the grandstands where Hamilton was seen as a popular winner.

Fellow Briton Norris was seen pulling alongside the Mercedes, putting aside his own disappointment to congratulate Hamilton. Verstappen did the same thing, as shown by the driver-facing camera mounted on board his Red Bull.

Hamilton’s last win came at the height of his vicious title fight with Verstappen which ended in controversy. They have not always seen eye to eye as a result but there was plenty of mutual respect on show after the end of Sunday’s Grand Prix.

After they had climbed out of their cars and while they waited for the podium ceremony in the cool down room, they were cracking jokes with one another. Verstappen smirked as he told Hamilton: “It’s been a while!” And the Briton chuckled before referring to the Dutchman’s dominance in recent years by calling him a “ball-hogger”.

Verstappen continued his charm offensive as he spoke to Dutch media, telling them: “He, of course, drove a good race, also made the right calls and they just were a bit faster than us. And for him to win in front of his home audience, it’s always something special.”

Earlier this year, Verstappen suggested that the two have moved past their previous feud. He said: ” I don’t think we have a difficult relationship at all – it is quite straightforward. It’s just that with others you have a closer relationship. It depends to an extent on how you live your life, and perhaps we are not similar in that regard.

“Of course, we had a big rivalry in 2021 but ultimately we do have a lot of respect for each other. He is definitely up there as one of the greatest drivers ever. I have no need or desire to deny that. Consistency is his key, and staying on top of his game.

“That is not so hard when you are so talented – it doesn’t take a lot of effort to do that. The way he has managed his championships is very impressive. He has stood up when he needed to and made the difference.”