Hamilton: Verstappen fallout was 'fake'
Hamilton: Verstappen fallout was 'fake'
Lewis Hamilton has called on himself and Max Verstappen to end the "fake" row that has grown between them in recent weeks.
Tensions between two of the biggest stars on the Formula 1 grid were raised when Hamilton said Verstappen "torpedoed" him on the first lap of the Mexican GP, something that the Dutchman said proved he was in the champion's head at the United States GP a week later.
Before sealing his sixth world title at COTA, however, Hamilton revealed he offered the olive branch to Verstappen, a racer he expects to secure title glory of his own in the years to come.
Hamilton told Channel 4: "I spoke to Max even before the race and I was like, 'Dude you're such a great racer, man. Let's just squash whatever there is between us because it's just fake, it's nothing. Whatever beef [there is] let's just get rid of it. Let's go out there and have a great race'.
"He's a champion of the future and I'm going to work as hard as I can to stop that happening for a while, but I'm enjoying racing with him."
Another of Hamilton's rivals, Sebastian Vettel, made a beeline for the cooldown room to congratulate the new champion post-race.
Although the pair have had their tense moments, Hamilton says there is now a great understanding between them.
"Me and Seb have a huge amount of respect for each other and I think it's grown over time," he said.
"We both have been at the forefront of the sport and both appreciate just how hard it is individually for us to do what we do.
"Also, over time… Seb does his thing his own way, I do it my own way and we respect that about each other.
"There's no judgement there and I think its these tough battles that we've had together last year have brought us closer in that respect.
"It means a huge amount to have respect from other drivers."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
- 18 minutes ago
Horner Red Bull saga set to reignite with FIA 'evidence' hearing
- 1 hour ago
F1 set for talks over RADICAL change to points rules
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: 'Game over' for Perez as Red Bull chief claims rivals 'pressuring' star into contract
- 3 hours ago
Cullen sends out new relationship love as F1 team punished for GP injury – GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Perez makes 'game over' admission after Chinese GP disappointment
- Yesterday 22:57
Related news
Fierce Hamilton F1 rival raises timing issue for Ferrari move
Rosberg reveals Wolff MISTAKE in managing infamous Hamilton dynamic
Hamilton rues Mercedes mistakes over key F1 decision
Wolff left FUMING with Mercedes despite amazing Hamilton lap
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860