F1 presenter blasts Max Verstappen haters as ‘ridiculous’

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 presenter blasts Verstappen haters as ‘ridiculous’

The three-time F1 world champion is not loved by every fan of the sport

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Saturday 20 January 2024 11:57 Updated: 16:10

Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham has labelled the hatred for Max Verstappen as 'ridiculous' after she insisted that those dominating the sport should be celebrated for their greatness.

The 2023 season belonged to one man and one man only. Verstappen won 19 out of the 22 races as he romped home to a third successive world title.

The Dutchman's points tally alone would have been enough to win the constructors' championship for Red Bull and he scored more than double the amount of the second-placed driver – his team-mate, Sergio Perez.

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Although extreme, this dominance is not uncommon in F1. Sebastian Vettel notched up four world titles in a row between 2010 and 2013, while Lewis Hamilton won six out of seven championships between 2014 and 2020.

Max Verstappen had plenty of cause to celebrate with Red Bull in 2023

The Red Bull star collected his third drivers' championship trophy at the end of the season

Sergio Perez's points tally in P2 was less than half of Verstappen's total

And Pinkham has now urged those who take umbrage with Verstappen's dominance – or whoever may be leading the sport at the time – to realise how lucky they are to witness their talent.

Pinkham: Verstappen hatred ridiculous

“But that’s ridiculous,” she said at the Autosport International event when put to her that the most dominant F1 driver appears to become the least popular.

“Because I think what we do in time is we look back and we recognise that we were genuinely lucky to have witnessed that.

Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham (L) and George Russell (R)

“And Formula 1 is cyclical, people have purple patches, but ultimately, someone else will take over and it will be someone else’s time and actually we’re very lucky.

“Look back at now Sebastian Vettel’s domination of the sport and then you look at Lewis and now Max and the time will come…

"I would love a sport where we could see more fighting at the front, because you just want more wheel-to wheel racing and also because you know the talent is there.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Sergio Perez Sebastian Vettel Natalie Pinkham