Lewis Hamilton hits back at Max Verstappen and Red Bull HYPOCRISY claims

Lewis Hamilton

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Hamilton hits back at Verstappen and Red Bull HYPOCRISY claims

The seven-time world champion has been unable to prevent Verstappen from dominating in recent years

Dan Davis

Monday 17 July 2023 07:57

Lewis Hamilton has doubled down on his insistence that one team or driver dominating Formula 1 is not good for the sport and hit back at claims of hypocrisy.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen sealed a superb title double last year and have built on their success this season with a series of red-hot displays, leaving the current world champion sitting comfortably at the top of the drivers' championship.

As a result, the potential of the heavyweight constructor remaining unbeaten across the entirety of an F1 campaign for the very first time remains alive.

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Mercedes, meanwhile, have found themselves scrapping with the likes of Aston Martin and Ferrari in their bid to shake off their development nightmares, often leaving Hamilton and team-mate George Russell adrift of the podium places.

The situation is a far cry from the years Hamilton spent at the top of motorsport, in which Mercedes won eight constructors' titles between 2014 and 2021, although he believes that any dominant streak is not what spectators want to see.

And with Verstappen the latest to surge ahead at the front of the grid week after week, Hamilton suggested change is needed to tighten up the pack.

Verstappen is cruising toward a third world title

Hamilton: Cap hasn't levelled the field

Referencing his initial criticism of Verstappen's untouchable status, Hamilton told Channel 4: "I saw all the things that that spiralled into. And they're like 'you didn't say anything when you were...'

"The truth is, it's something we've been talking [about], we'd had conversations and we've been talking about it even when we were having our dominance.

"I remember when there were times we had really good battles with Ferrari, and then I remember times where we had a chunk of a gap, and for me, that wasn’t really...

"Of course I wanted to be at the front and I wanted to be fighting, but having a half-a-second gap to the car behind, it doesn't really feel... you wanted to have close racing, that's what racing is all about.

"So I think they changed the rules, put this budget cap in, it's supposed to level the field and it hasn't done that. So, all I'm saying is we just have to continue to have the conversation."