When compared, the 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has had a longer history in Formula 1 as compared to the reigning champion Max Verstappen. The former has partnered with a few of the best drivers that motorsports have ever seen including Fernando Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, and presently with the young George Russell. The line of partnership was put into question by Hamilton who believes Verstappen’s teammates were not good enough.
The former driver Nico Rosberg who is often spotted on the paddock was questioned about the controversial comment, to which he responded, “It’s a bit strange Lewis does talk about that ‘my team-mates were so much better’. Where did that come from? But I do think he has a point. He had three world champions as team-mates and that says a lot doesn’t it.” The German believes that this argument is irrelevant as Max Verstappen has been delivering a performance that is near perfection.
🎙️| Rosberg: “I do think he has a point. I mean, he had three world champions as teammates. That says a lot, doesn’t it? So I do think it’s correct.”
The rest wasn’t really relevant so I cut it. 😌#ItalianGP 🇮🇹pic.twitter.com/Dg5vQmHd2x
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) September 2, 2023
Rosberg added, “Max is going very strongly towards that same level as Hamilton, Schumacher, Senna. He’s going to be one of those top-five greats very soon.” Securing the top spot at the Driver Standings, Verstappen has amassed a total of 364 points and is leading with a massive 145-point gap ahead of teammate Sergio Perez who holds the much-desired second spot. There is no doubt that the Dutch driver is going to win this year’s championship.
How did the ugly spat between Lewis Hamilton & Max Verstappen begin?
Recently, Lewis Hamilton gave his take on the standards of rivalry in Formula 1. The Briton stated that in his professional career, Verstappen’s teammates have typically been more simple to deal with than those he has faced. In a conversation with Sky Sports, he said, “All my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent – and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”
Max Verstappen responds to Lewis Hamilton’s statements about his teammates:
“Perhaps Lewis is a little jealous of my current success.”
“He may think he gains something with that, with statements like that, but it doesn’t matter to me. I think it’s very hard to deal with a loss… pic.twitter.com/EtchEqTluu
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 2, 2023
This harsh comment received a fitting reply from Verstappen who believes that Hamilton is “jealous” of his success. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, nevertheless, didn’t take long to reply to Hamilton’s comments. Max Verstappen has consistently had the upper hand when it comes to his coworkers throughout his career, according to Horner.
The British team principal has been pleased by the Dutchman as he and the team won all the races of the season and are hoping to win a few of the remaining ones. Verstappen has recently conquered the long-standing record maintained by the previous world champion Sebastian Vettel. But in the case of Lewis, he has been struggling to secure a podium since the British Grand Prix.
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