According to Christian Horner’s recent dig at Mercedes ace ahead of the race in the United States, Lewis Hamilton lacks inner confidence.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is vying against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, and amidst this clash, there have been some trash talking. However, the Red Bull boss Christian Horner doesn’t want Max Verstappen to focus on those comments.
Instead, he claims this only indicates a lack of ‘inner confidence’ in their opponents, and they recognize their merit. Therefore, he prefers not to get sucked by the comments.
“We just remind Max that our focus is very much on ourselves and not to get sucked into any of our competitors’ comments when they’re taking a pop at you,” Horner told The Guardian.
“They’re doing that because, ultimately, they don’t have that inner confidence in themselves. It’s best to take that as a compliment,” he added.
Also read: Max Verstappen refuses to take part in the 4th season of ‘Drive to Survive’
Not a personal rivalry
Meanwhile, on Friday, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas debunked the myth of this rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen being personal. He claimed that the two antagonists are adults and are dealing with competition maturely.
Contradicting the media reports, he claimed that he had seen both drivers chatting with ease a few days ago. Meanwhile, even Verstappen recently claimed he doesn’t consider the championship award the primary part of his life.
Will Max Verstappen extend his lead by ending Mercedes’ reign in COTA, or will Lewis Hamilton overtake the Dutch with another win? 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/5DMhDWwwYy
— ClutchPoints Racing (@RacingOnCP) October 22, 2021
And also assured his life won’t change by an ounce if he fails to win the championship this year. Additionally, he will still consider 2021 a success for Red Bull, even if they collectively finish second.
Therefore, the championship spoiling their cordial relations seems to be a distant stretch. The banter between the two teams can’t be termed as hate.
Yet, the fighting on track would be super stressful in the remaining six races, as both teams have been eyeing the ultimate prize for a while.