Max Verstappen claims that Hamilton is 'maybe JEALOUS' of his recent success

Verstappen, Hamilton — Photo: © LAT Images

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Verstappen claims that Hamilton is 'maybe JEALOUS' of his recent success

Max Verstappen has responded to Lewis Hamilton's team-mate jibe

Jay Winter

Sunday 3 September 2023 08:57

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has responded to Lewis Hamilton's recent comments, suggesting that the seven-time world champion might be "jealous" of his current success.

Verstappen is currently on the verge of chasing a record-breaking tenth consecutive win in Formula 1 as he homes in on a third consecutive world title.

Hamilton had recently stirred the pot on Sky Sports with comments about Verstappen's dominance, claiming that the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and George Russell are all "stronger" than the Dutchman's former team-mates.

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Speaking after the qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix where Verstappen finished P2, just 0.013s to his former Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz, the two-time world champion responded to the Mercedes star.

"Maybe Lewis is a bit jealous of my current success," Verstappen was quoted by De Telegraaf.

"He might think he can win something with those kinds of statements, but it doesn't matter to me."

The last team-mate to beat Verstappen was Daniel Ricciardo in 2017

Sore losers?

Verstappen went on to suggest that Mercedes may be finding it challenging to cope with the shift in dynamics after enjoying eight consecutive years of dominance in F1.

"I think Mercedes has a hard time dealing with losing after winning so much for so many years," stated the world championship leader.

"But at some point, you have to be realistic when you know it's not there. Then you have to appreciate what other teams are doing.

"We've always done that in the years when they were dominant."

The Dutch driver also emphasised the importance of focusing on one's own performance rather than getting caught up in external comments.

"You can keep shouting that what we're doing isn't that special or have that tone," he said.

"Maybe they don't always say it, but they think it. While you should just focus on yourself. That's the only thing you have control over. I don't need these kinds of things."

While Verstappen is laser-focused on a record-breaking tenth consecutive race win, Hamilton has admitted it's going to be almost "impossible" to beat Verstappen's former team-mate Alex Albon.