Max Verstappen has emphatically struck back at Lewis Hamilton, who recently made a comment about the standard of his Red Bull team-mates. The Mercedes star feels as though he has had to contend with a comparatively higher standard of partners during his own F1 career, which has seen him bank seven world titles.
Verstappen is powering towards Drivers’ Championship number three, and he looks set to tie it up long before the end of the season. Hamilton, meanwhile, has not won a Grand Prix since 2021 as Mercedes struggle to match their rivals’ race pace.
In response to the praise and adulation directed towards Verstappen, Hamilton suggested that the Dutchman’s road to success has been made easier by the standard of his team-mates. Sergio Perez has been alongside Verstappen at Red Bull since 2021.
“Red Bull on the whole is one of the strongest teams ever,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “They’re firing on all cylinders right now. The car is incredible. The driver is doing an amazing job, very consistent. You can’t fault them.
“In my personal opinion, Valtteri [Bottas] and all of my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had. Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], George [Russell], Nico [Rosberg]. I had so many. These guys have all been very strong and consistent. Max is not racing against anyone like that.”
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Pulling no prisoners, Verstappen has since responded: “Maybe he’s a little jealous of my current success. He possibly thinks he’s winning something with a statement like that, but it makes no difference to me.
The pair will have the chance to do battle on track this Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton may have a job catching up to Verstappen, however, having qualified six places behind the 25-year-old in P8.
The big surprise from Saturday was Verstappen failing to secure pole position. Concerningly for Red Bull, their star driver will be sandwiched between two Ferrari stars at their home race, with Carlos Sainz starting from the front.