Hamilton wary he "could connect" with Verstappen as F1 title fight intensifies

Lewis Hamilton has not ruled out a collision with F1 title rival Max Verstappen as their championship battle intensifies over the course of the season.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has already suggested it is inevitable the duo will clash on track at some point, even though they have managed to keep it clean for now.

Mercedes driver Hamilton has won three races to Verstappen’s one this season but in all four races they have gone wheel to wheel at some stage.

Hamilton knows he will have to handle further fights this season if he is to retain his title again. He said: “I think I’ve done well to avoid all the incidents so far.

“We’ve got 19 more to go and we could connect, hopefully not. The good thing is, I think there is a nice balanced amount of respect between us.”

Hamilton has made his best start to a season despite Verstappen being labelled the favourite heading into the first race after regulation tweaks over the winter helped Red Bull to close the gap on Mercedes.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has shown he will not hold back in his quest for the crown this year and is a favourite for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton, though, has revealed he is happy to play the long game this season.

“He has a lot to prove, I am not necessarily in the same boat there,” added Hamilton.

“I’m more of a long-term ‘it’s a marathon not a sprint’ sort of mentality, which is ultimately why I have the stats I have.

"So I will continue with that and I will do everything to make sure we avoid connecting.”

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