‘It’s not nice,’ Max Verstappen responds to Lewis Hamilton’s teammate claims

The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, one of the most talented drivers in Formula One, is not confined to the race track. The two rivals have been involved in a war of words in recent times. Hamilton had claimed that all his “team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had.” The comment did not go down well with Verstappen and the Red Bull racer has now lashed out at Hamilton.

“It’s not nice of Hamilton towards the teammates I had, but it is ironic that after that interview of his in Monza, many of my teammates were ahead of him in qualifying. I am not focused on others, but on my own performance. I respect the dominance of others and Lewis’ past titles. In my opinion, it doesn’t have to be about other people’s teammates,” Verstappen was quoted as saying.

“It’s about your own performance, how you perform in your race weekends and how you work together with your team. The rest is secondary. Maybe there is a little jealousy. Nice for Netflix? That doesn’t really matter to me,” the 25-year-old added.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were involved in an enticing rivalry during the 2021 season. The two Formula One greats fought tooth and nail for the title. Hamilton, who was vying for an eighth championship back then, had to concede a defeat eventually. Verstappen emerged victorious to win his maiden championship in 2021.

Since then, Verstappen has grown in stature winning another title last year. The 25-year-old has managed to carry forward his incredible form this season as well. Max Verstappen has conquered 12 of the 14 races for Red Bull. Verstappen matched Sebastian Vettel’s Formula One record of nine consecutive victories at the Dutch GP last month. The two-time Formula One champion extended his sensational winning streak to 10 at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month. Verstappen got the better of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 6.064 seconds to claim the top spot at Monza.

Following the Italian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton took a dig at Verstappen. “In my personal opinion, all my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had,” Hamilton said. “Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], George [Russell], Valtteri [Bottas], Nico [Rosberg]. I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent – and Max has not raced against anyone like that,” the Mercedes driver said.

Lewis Hamilton is now placed in fourth position in the Formula One Drivers’ standings. Max Verstappen is placed atop the standings with 364 points and 12 wins to his name. Verstappen is ahead of his teammate and second-placed Sergio Perez by 145 points.