Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, a rivalry that is already part of Formula 1 history. Especially after a 2021 in which they fought for the title until the last lap of the last race. Finally it was the Dutchman who took the victory and his first championship.
The second was much calmer. Verstappen had no rival. But both met again on the track. It was in Brazil, where they touched each other again while fighting. Hamilton finished second in that race behind his teammate, George Russell.
Asked about these touches, Verstappen told ‘Motorsport’ that he doesn’t explain it to him: “Somehow, with Lewis it’s a different story. And I honestly don’t understand…”
“Well, I have to be careful what I say here, but everyone I’ve been fighting this year has been really tough, aggressive battles and we’ve never touched,” said the two-time Grand Circus champion.
And remember what happened in Brazil: “This year we haven’t had a lot of battles, but in Brazil we touch each other, And I didn’t mean for us to crash. They put the blame on me, which I didn’t think was fair.”
“If it had been more of a racing incident I could live with it. But… I don’t get it. Maybe it’s just a generation thing, that we understand each other better with our own generation, we race better alongside each other. I don’t understand it”, commented the Dutchman.
And he ends by showing his respect for the seven-time world champion: “Always I respect Lewis a lot because of what he has achieved in the sport, but because of that I really don’t understand why we can’t race like everyone else.”
“I have to be a little more careful with that because immediately is taken as a criticism. And then people start to hate you. But hey, that’s not my intention,” says the Dutchman.
