“He might be a little jealous,” Verstappen lightly tackles Hamilton
Earlier in the week, Lewis Hamilton announced that he has teamed up with tougher drivers than those Max Verstappen has had. The Dutchman replied that the Briton must be "jealous" of all his successes in the past two years.
This is part of the game in sports. Small tackles sent here and there between competitors. Since 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been rivals. Although there has been tension in the air during that famous season when the Dutchman won his first title, the two men respect each other.
Despite this mutual respect between these two champions of the sport, it doesn’t stop them from taking jabs at each other through the media. Before this Italian Grand Prix, it was Lewis Hamilton who initiated hostilities. The Mercedes driver was asked to comment on the various teammates he has had since 2007.
Constant teammates
The seven-time world champion took the opportunity to draw a comparison with Max Verstappen’s teammates. He stated that the men he has teamed up with were tougher than those of the Dutchman. « And in my opinion, Valtteri [Bottas], and actually all my teammates, have been stronger than the teammates Max had. Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], George [Russell], Valtteri, Nico [Rosberg]… I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very consistent, and Max has never raced against someone like that », certified the one who has just extended his contract.
Following these statements, Max Verstappen had the opportunity to respond to his opponent. He indicated that he cared little about the level of his teammates. But that didn’t stop him from taking a jab at his rival as well. « Perhaps he is a little jealous of our current success. I don’t know why he’s saying that. Maybe he thinks there’s something to gain or defend with comments like this, but for me, it doesn’t matter », declared the Red Bull driver.
« You must be able to appreciate what other teams are doing »
The Dutchman believes that Mercedes is having a hard time accepting defeat, especially after eight years of dominance during the hybrid era. « At some point, you have to be realistic when you know it’s not possible. Then, you have to be able to appreciate what other teams are doing. We also did that when they were dominant, and we said to ourselves, “We have to work harder than them because we’re not good enough.” »
« You can continue to say that the things we are accomplishing right now are not that special, or at least that’s probably what they think, but in the end, we just have to focus on ourselves because that’s the only thing we can influence. »
