Lewis Hamilton took his 103rd career win at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP following an intense battle with Max Verstappen. However, at the time, the Briton would have had little idea that he would have to wait nearly 1000 days to get to his next victory.
During the last two seasons, Verstappen and his Red Bull team have been unstoppable. The Dutchman won 34 out of the 44 races, establishing unprecedented dominance.
However, this season, things are starting to change. McLaren has risen to challenge Red Bull, and Mercedes is not far behind either.
Hamilton finally broke his winless streak at the 2024 British Grand Prix, a race that couldn’t have been more special as it took place in front of his home fans. And Verstappen knows exactly how special his old rival must be feeling, having seen him getting so emotional after the race.
In a post-race interview, Verstappen was asked about the moment when he drove beside Hamilton during the cooldown lap at Silverstone and what the Briton must have been feeling at that moment. “Great, right,” Verstappen said.
“He, of course, drove a good race. Also, made the right calls, and they were just a bit faster than us. And for him to win in front of his home audience, it’s always something special,” the Dutchman added. The 26-year-old then even passed a hilarious remark to Hamilton after losing to the Briton for the first time in more than two seasons.
— totally not scuderiafemboy (@YURISTAPPEN) July 7, 2024
Verstappen welcomed Hamilton back as a winner in a moment not televised
Verstappen, who had been chasing Hamilton hard during the final stint of the race, couldn’t catch him in time. Despite this, he was one of the first to congratulate Hamilton on his victory.
After they drove back to the pits, Verstappen cracked a joke with Hamilton in the cooldown room, a moment that was not televised. Before the podium celebrations, Verstappen was caught on camera telling Hamilton: “It’s been a while!”
Lewis calls Max “Ball Hogger!” in the cool down room after win at Silverstone.
In 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were fierce rivals, but these days they seem to get along just fine. After the British Grand Prix, Verstappen was among the first to congratulate the… pic.twitter.com/44zk2zpQBl
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) July 8, 2024
Hamilton, referring to Verstappen’s dominant seasons, laughed and replied, “Ball hogger!” This friendly exchange highlighted the mutual respect between the two drivers despite their fierce and somewhat controversial rivalry in 2021.
