Anthony Hamilton went up to the podium to congratulate Max and his father, Jos Verstappen, for the first world title.
Jos Verstappen revealed that Lewis and Anthony Hamilton reacted with class after losing their record-breaking eighth title.
Max Verstappen won his first title after beating the seven-time world champions in the controversial last lap at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
After Nicholas Latifi crashed into the wall towards the end of the race, the race had to be restarted. Race director Michael Masi changed his initial plans leading to a controversial ending to the race.
Mercedes reacted fiercely to how the race had concluded. They lodged two different complaints with the FIA, only to get both dismissed by stewards.
However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said that he was disappointed by how Mercedes reacted to their loss. He said that he understands the frustration of losing, but they should accept it.
Also Read: Red Bull team boss visited Mercedes’ headquarter after the conclusion of Abu Dhabi GP
Jos Verstappen thinks that the Hamiltons are respectful
The tension between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had occasionally grown throughout the season, both on and off-track. Max Verstappen recently admitted that there were times when both drivers hated each other. But that is understandable.
However, in the aftermath of the race, former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen revealed that Anthony Hamilton congratulated him and his son. He also said that the relations between the two rivals had been respectful throughout the season.
“When I was sitting with Max before he went up to the podium, [Lewis’ father] Anthony was there, Jos said. “He congratulated us, so that was really nice.”
“Also during the season, I had some conversations with him over WhatsApp. He’s really nice. They’ve won seven titles already so, for them, it is a bit different to when we won the first one, but he’s always respectful,” Jos concluded.
