Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are famous for their fierce rivalry that is not limited to just the track.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were involved in a fierce fight for the 2021 Championship title. The season ultimately ended with Verstappen snatching the title away from Hamilton.
The 2021 season also saw Verstappen and Hamilton coming together on multiple occasions. The heat of a championship battle took on both drivers.
In 2022, things were different as the duo never really came close to battling each other. The Mercedes side failed to produce a championship-challenging car while red bull made a title-winning challenger. The Dutchman hence ended his season with 15 wins to his name.
Hamilton talked about the people claiming that he and Verstappen have some problems with each other.
“People like to talk about there being problems between Max and me,”
Hamilton said speaking to a magazine.
Hamilton claimed that the speculations indicating issues between him and Verstappen are “fairytales”. The seven-time world champion then went on to add “I respect him.”
‘Maybe he has a problem with me’ – Hamilton
The 2021 title ended in a hugely controversial manner. Verstappen overtook Hamilton in the last race in the Abu Dhabi GP on the last lap after a safety car restart that seemed to favor the Dutchman.
FIA later gave a written report of the incident blaming human error for the controversial decision. Only lapped cars between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were allowed to unlap themselves.
Although the 2022 season was rather quiet for Verstappen-Hamilton’s rivalry, the sparks from the past once again ignited during the Brazilian GP. The duo again made contact which rather ruined the race for both.
Other than the drivers, team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are also constantly fighting each other off the track through words.
Regardless of the conflicts, Hamilton insists that he has no problem with the “young” Dutchman:
“He is a lot younger, so maybe he has a problem with me,”
Hamilton said.
“But I am not sure about that and I actually assume not. Although I can’t speak for him.”
“He did everything he had to do in 2021, so why should I have a problem with him. He performed and delivered every weekend, nobody can take that away from him.”
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