Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had probably the most intense rivalry during the 2021 season over many years. It could easily be the biggest inter-team rivalry since Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, which happened around 10 years before the latter rivalry.
The rivalry between the two drivers elevated the entire competition. The viewers across the world quadrupled, and F1 was fancying the entire attention to its sport ahead of the last race in Abu Dhabi.
The two drivers went through some scary collisions. Verstappen suffered a 52 G crash at Silverstone after Hamilton’s front tyres knocked him. Meanwhile, Verstappen almost got his rear tyre on the Briton’s head in Italy.
The tensions between the two were transforming into more than a competition, and with each passing day, it was getting personal. Now, that season is buried in the layers of time. But still, the tensions between them are expected, and Mercedes is still sour about what they dealt with on the final day.
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Lewis Hamilton says he has massive respect for Max Verstappen
Even if Hamilton wasn’t in direct competition with Verstappen in 2022, Mercedes and Red Bull are expected to be hostile with each other.
But Hamilton claims he doesn’t have any problem with his younger rival and respects him. Though, he doesn’t know whether the current F1 champion reciprocates that feeling.
“He is a lot younger, so maybe he has a problem with me,” Hamilton said. “But I am not sure about that and I actually assume not. Although I can’t speak for him.”
Hamilton also states that he has nothing against Verstappen for lifting the 2021 title, most controversially. He states the Dutchman did everything he had to do that year and consistently performed. So he doesn’t hold anything against him for that.
Will they vie next season?
Hamilton, ahead of the new season, is very optimistic about the new season. He is expecting to be back for the championship fight. If it happens, he even claimed that he can think of retiring after that as he now fancies leaving the sport as a champion.
But his boss Toto Wolff is more realistic about it. He doesn’t expect his team to instantly start challenging the 2023 title favourites Red Bull. He expects the Silver Arrows to spend the first few races catching up with them and Ferrari.
He rationalized his claim by saying that Mercedes had greatly improved their last year’s problems. However, they must first run them in real-time before guaranteeing results. So Verstappen and Hamilton could miss battling against each other this year.
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