The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has exploded in 2021 with one of the fiercest title fights in F1 history going all the way. The two men have faced each other four times in their title duel, including spectacular clashes at Silverstone and Monza.
Such was the controversy surrounding Verstappen’s victory that Hamilton nearly walked away. The pair have since failed to rekindle their feud, with Verstappen dominating Hamilton and Mercedes lacking pace.
Hamilton breaks an unwritten rule
Max Verstappen remained furious with Hamilton after the seven-time champion broke an unwritten rule during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season.
Hamilton dove inside the Red Bull before starting their laps and the Dutchman instinctively turned his steering wheel towards the Mercedes star to block her.
After Hamilton’s gesture, Verstappen replied bluntly: “Incredible”. However, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase tried to calm the situation, telling Verstappen: “Let them go – let them play”.
Hamilton’s move broke a gentleman’s agreement that drivers tend not to overtake until the qualifying laps in order to give everyone enough space.
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Verstappen insults Hamilton
Last summer Max Verstappen said Lewis Hamilton was “always learning”, in an apparent allusion to the Mercedes star. The defending champion made the remark during the British Grand Prix, 12 months after the terrible collision between the two drivers during the 2021 title campaign.
Where the two rivals collided, Hamilton managed to pass Charles Leclerc at the same spot without coming into contact with him. Hamilton praised Leclerc: “What a great battle! ” [He’s] a very sensitive driver, clearly very different from what I experienced last year. »
Verstappen, however, replied: “I think it’s pretty good that at 37 you can still learn to reach an apex. He learns, so it’s positive. It’s also a good thing for young riders to know that you can still learn at 37. You can clearly see in the pictures what has changed compared to last year.
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