Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen 2021 shared an extraordinary rivalry. A level of competition that F1 hadn’t seen for a while. The intensity was exhausting for the drivers, and even fans were always on their edge.
It was so hectic that the two collided with each other twice and fortunately avoided severe injuries both times. Apart from that, they even had little brushes with their cars, which only showed that there could have been more clashes between the two over that season.
Even the end of it wasn’t plain and was full of controversies. That even gave F1 a scare of Hamilton’s retirement from the sport. Surely the two entities had divided the whole fraternity into two camps, and even the drivers weren’t aloof.
📼| Lewis Hamilton’s overtake on Max Verstappen in Brazil 2021 🏎💨pic.twitter.com/4uCSRn5Yuz
— AnythingF1 (@AnythingF1_) January 18, 2023
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Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo choose Max Verstappen
The 2021 rivalry absolutely gave a tremendous rise to F1 across the globe. But everyone had an opinion on the rivalry, and so did the drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris.
In a video released by ESPN UK at the early stage of the last season, they asked who they preferred, Hamilton or Verstappen. Both of them, without any difficulty, chose Verstappen.
It’s probably because the two share a good affiliation with Verstappen, as Ricciardo was with him at Red Bull, and Norris, being of a similar age, has been his friend since his teenage days. On the other hand, Hamilton hardly shares any good relations on the grid.
Even his best friend from his youth, Nico Rosberg, became his most hostile rival, while his first teammate Fernando Alonso is still his biggest nemesis. Only recently, he built good relations with his contemporary Sebastian Vettel and has cordial relations with George Russell.
So in the department of personal bonds, Hamilton has lacked to be at the top in professional life. So if asked the drivers who they would prefer, Hamilton might lose mostly.
They both chose Ayrton Senna over Michael Schumacher
The duo was even asked who they would choose between Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. Both are regarded as the best of their generations, and often they are pitted against each other.
When the two were asked about their preference, Norris immediately said Senna. But Ricciardo took a while before ending up choosing Senna as his choice among the two.
In the whole video, they also gave opinions on several other things, like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferrari or Mercedes. The questions only showed them sometimes. Even trivial decisions are hard to make.
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