Max Verstappen IGNORES Lewis Hamilton in brutal F1 swipe after Fernando Alonso claim

Max Verstappen

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Verstappen IGNORES Hamilton in brutal F1 swipe after Alonso claim

Max Verstappen will have ruffled a few feathers with his latest comments about Lewis Hamilton

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:57

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Max Verstappen has claimed that Lewis Hamilton lacks a trait that only few Formula 1 drivers have, after the Dutchman admitted that people will "hate" him for his opinion of the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen and Hamilton have shared a rivalry within the sport that few others will get to experience.

Despite Hamilton's past accolades as an F1 driver, Verstappen believes that the Mercedes man lacks the ability to think about other things going on in the car at the same time, compared to someone like Fernando Alonso.

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Verstappen was praising Johan Cruyff for his mental abilities both on and off the field during his time as a footballer, before then comparing the same asset to being behind the wheel of a car.

“The thing is with people like him, they are so talented, when they are playing or racing," he told the Sunday Times.

"They have so much more capacity for other things to think about. I think that’s how he was when he was playing or coaching; his vision was so much wider than most other people."

'Only a few drivers have it'

“I do like to think that having extra capacity is a big advantage in F1 as well,” he added. “You cannot train that kind of thing. Only a few drivers have it.

“For me, definitely Fernando [Alonso] — I can feel that, from the way he operates in the car, picking up on little things, showing this extra capacity — still driving at the limit but thinking about other stuff as well.

Max Verstappen praised Fernando Alonso for his ability to be aware of multiple things at once while driving a Formula 1 car

“You are talking to the engineer," he explained. "But I am also hearing a pitstop by a Ferrari car. I asked, ‘Did they box? I heard that on the radio.’ But if you are fully focused on your driving, you probably won’t pick up it up because you are fully focused on his voice.”

And when asked if Hamilton is also the same category as Alonso, the Dutchman did not believe the seven-time world champion was in the same league as the Spaniard.

"No, because Fernando stands out more with that. People will probably start hating me for [saying] that, but just that’s how I see it.”