Ever since the intense 2021 season, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been arch-rivals. Sharing one of the most iconic rivalries in the history of F1, neither driver backed down from an opportunity to take a dig at the other. While there have been an unending number of stories detailing the rivalry between the two, F1 Nation‘s Tom Clarkson recalled a story that showed the lesser-known peace between them.
Back at the 2021 Portuguese GP, Lewis Hamilton took home the win, nearly 30 seconds ahead of P2 finisher Max Verstappen. Following the race, they both headed to the cooldown room, where a stool lay in the middle. Clarkson detailed how Hamilton draped himself around the stool in an attempt to stretch his back.
“they (Max & Lewis) come into the press conference room & Lewis sort of drapes himself, lying on his back over this stool just to stretch his back after the race. Max is sort of wanting to come over and help him stretch. It’s wonderful BTS, to see their relationship up close.” pic.twitter.com/1pll2mN9d4
— (@4433thinker) May 22, 2024
Meanwhile, Verstappen was witnessing all this, and he wanted to head over to Hamilton to help him stretch. Per Clarkson, it was a lovely sneak peek into the relationship of the two drivers behind the scenes.
“It’s wonderful, behind the scenes, a chance to see their relationship up close. And it was all very easy after that race.”, he said.
While the two might not share as fierce a rivalry off-track, they certainly aren’t friends. A generational gap between both drivers stands as a significant reason behind the same.
Not having a lot to talk about and not sharing a lot of interests meant the two drivers never had any real opportunities to bond. Nonetheless, things aren’t too heated between the two drivers, especially once they step out of their cars.
Max Verstappen details what his relationship with Lewis Hamilton is like
Having shared the last seven championships between them, it is only natural for Hamilton and Verstappen to be arch-rivals. Furthermore, the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP played a crucial in adding fire to the fuel. However, the Dutchman insists that all of the rivalry remains only on the tracks.
Things are never as bad as people portray them to be. All friendly here #F1 #LewisHamilton #MaxVerstappen pic.twitter.com/M84T7ZckGH
— 5 City Media (@5city_) March 22, 2022
Quoted by GP Fans, Max Verstappen detailed that he never wanted a rivalry that extended outside the tracks of F1. Speaking further, he claimed that while they both want to defeat each other on the tracks, once they are out of the car, “it’s like just normal guys.“
However, there are always chances of the 2021 rivalry reigniting one day. While it looks unlikely at Mercedes, Hamilton’s forthcoming move to Ferrari could see the hostilities return.
Ferrari has consistently improved over the last two seasons and is doing a great job of cutting down on the gap to Red Bull. In such a case, with Hamilton in one of their cars, fans might well get to witness the two drivers lock horns once again.
