Max Verstappen delivered the ultimate message to Lewis Hamilton and Co. by arriving at the Silverstone circuit ahead of the British GP in style, with his ‘G-OATL‘ helicopter ride. The Leonardo Westland AW139, which was first manufactured in 2004, is a one-of-a-kind helicopter, that Verstappen presumably used to make a statement to his biggest rivals.
This helicopter requires a two-person crew and can accommodate 15 passengers at a time. The AW139 can reach a maximum altitude of 6,100 meters and can travel at a speed of 174 mph. According to aircraftcostcalculator.com, a pre-owned Leonardo Westland AW139 alone costs a whopping $10,350,000.
The report adds that utilize the services of this particular chopper, an individual needs to pay a staggering $3,964.52 per hour. Since it’s so expensive to operate this helicopter, it is the perfect message that Verstappen could deliver to his rivals. Additionally, an indirect message was seemingly engraved on its side.
Verstappen’s entry into Silverstone is on a league of its own
While most of the F1 drivers entered the Silverstone circuit on foot, Max Verstappen decided to arrive by air. As seen in a video shared by F1 chequered flag, the Dutchman grabbed a pair of headphones in flight, and arrived into Silverstone with immense comfort.
When it came to his rivals, most of them decided to greet their fans on their way to the paddock. For example, the likes of Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon clicked a picture with some of their young fans and exchanged some memorable moments with them. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton arrived at his home Grand Prix with his favorite pal, Roscoe.
Since the British Grand Prix is the home venue of Hamilton, all eyes are likely to be on him, as he targets his first F1 win since the 2021 season. And if the 38-year-old is keen on doing so, he will have to beat Verstappen, who has been in a world of domination of his own.
Can Lewis Hamilton take the fight to Max Verstappen?
Lewis Hamilton has had quite the rivalry with Max Verstappen as they delivered one of F1’s most iconic title battles in the 2021 season. Massive controversy took place that year as the Dutchman came out on top following some contentious decisions from Michael Masi, who was the race director at the time.
And just two seasons later, Verstappen seems to have continued with his domination while Hamilton still seems to be struggling. Last season was the first win-less campaign in Hamilton’s career. Having failing to win a race so far this time too, the Stevenage-born driver is desperate to change this.
However, for him to achieve that, he would need to beat the Dutchman. Verstappen has currently won five consecutive races and seven of the opening nine Grand Prix. With Red Bull having created an utterly dominant car, it will be very difficult for Hamilton to take the fight to the 25-year-old this weekend in Silverstone even if Mercedes‘ upgrades were to improve their performance.
