F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Makes ‘World Champion’ Jab At Max Verstappen

During the Drivers’ Press Conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton, didn’t hold back in his critique of reigning world champion Max Verstappen. This followed a contentious collision at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where heated exchanges over the incident and team strategy marked another chapter in the duo’s storied rivalry. Hamilton stirred the pot by questioning Verstappen’s conduct, suggesting that a true leader should embody the poise and responsibility of their status both on and off the track.

A clash for third place during the Hungarian Grand Prix left Verstappen crossing the line in fifth, exacerbating the tension with frustrated radio communications criticizing his team’s strategy and car performance. Although the stewards dismissed the collision as a racing incident, they hinted that Hamilton could have potentially avoided the conflict, a point that surprised and irked the Mercedes driver.

Commenting on Verstappen’s fuming radio messages to Red Bull, Hamilton commented, as quoted by Sky Sports F1:

“You have to be a team leader, a team member.

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes chats with Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing in parc ferme after the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International…
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes chats with Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing in parc ferme after the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on April 20, 2024 in Shanghai, China. Lewis Hamilton makes jab at Max Verstappen.
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“Maybe not such a team leader, just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion.”

When probed for more information on what he meant by “acting like a world champion,” the British driver responded:

“That is a good question… Not like it was last weekend.”

Verstappen, unfazed by critics of his often blunt radio remarks, defended his communication style as effective for his team’s dynamics, saying:

“People that don’t like my language, don’t listen in or change the volume down. I’m very driven to succeed. I’ve proven that already.

“I always want to optimise stuff. People can argue that you might not be so vocal on the radio, but that’s their opinion.

“We are very open-minded. We are very critical of each other as a team, and that’s been working for us very well, so I don’t expect that to change.”

Hamilton also spoke about his thoughts on the Stewards deeming the clash a race incident and noting that he could have avoided it. He explained:

“I was really, really surprised by it.

“I think already I was very relaxed about the situation and just saying ‘look, it’s just a racing incident, let’s just move on’.

“But considering one car was in control and one car was not in control at the time – obviously when all the wheels are locked, you’re not in control – and if you look at the replay at the end of the move I’m very, very far from the apex, so there’s a lot of room on the right-hand side.

“So I was very, very surprised by the stewards. I don’t know who typed it up but… that will be a question when I speak to them at some stage.”

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.