“There wasn’t mutual respect with Max Verstappen”: Lewis Hamilton opens up about relationship with 24-year old former title rival

Lewis Hamilton admits that there wasn’t mutual respect with Max Verstappen because of the huge age gap between them. 

The 2021 F1 season saw one of the greatest Title battles of all time. Verstappen and Hamilton went toe to toe for the Championship throughout the campaign and it was on the final lap of the season finale when they could be separated.

Both drivers entered the final race of the season level on points. After a lot of controversy surrounding the safety car and then race director Michael Masi’s controversial decision-making, Verstappen managed to overtake the seven-time World Champion on the last lap. As a result, he became Netherlands’ first ever F1 Champion.

Even before the drama of the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton and Verstappen’s 2021 season was riddled with controversy. The two were engaged in several on-track tussles which often resulted in crashes. It led to people wondering if the relationship between these two great drivers had soured.

According to Hamilton, he has no ill feelings towards the Red Bull ace.

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No mutual respect but also no hard feelings, says Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton and Verstappen are both generational talents. However, they belong to different eras. Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007 and won his first Title in 2008. Verstappen meanwhile, is thirteen years younger and made his debut in 2015.

Hamilton fought for Titles alongside greats like Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, so they all have a sense of mutual respect for one another. Verstappen came into the sport much later. This why Hamilton feels that he does not share the same relationship with Verstappen.

“There is nothing left over between Max and I,” he said when asked about the 2021 Abu Dhabi controversy. “Max did his duty last year and I have zero problems with him. There’s quite a few years between us so probably out of the car there wasn’t that mutual respect. But there are no hard feelings.”

2022 has been a difficult year for Hamilton. He hasn’t won a single race this season, and with just six races left, he may well go the entire year winless, which will be a first in his career.

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