Verstappen laughs off Hamilton “pressure” claim
Verstappen laughs off Hamilton “pressure” claim
Max Verstappen has laughed off claims from seven-time world champion rival Lewis Hamilton that he is feeling the pressure of his first F1 title fight this season.
Verstappen leads Hamilton by five points with eight races remaining and so far the battle has been uncompromising on track as well as off it, with the pair often taking jibes at each other during the events.
Hamilton claimed Verstappen “won’t admit” to feeling the intensity of the emotions as he discussed the pressures of his own first championship scrap in the build-up to this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.
When asked about Hamilton's comments, Verstappen initially joked: “Yeah, I am so nervous, I can barely sleep. I mean, it is so horrible to fight for a title! I really hate it!”
Taking on a more serious tone, he added: “If someone knows me, I think I am very relaxed about all those things and I really can’t be bothered, I am really chilled.
“It is the best feeling ever to have a great car where you go into every weekend and you can fight for a win. It doesn’t matter if you are just leading a championship or not.
“Lewis’ comments just show you he really doesn’t know me, which is fine. I also don’t need to know him, how he is fully.
"I just focus on myself and I really enjoy it out there at the front and hopefully we can do it for a very long time.”
Verstappen ready to break Mercedes' dominance in Sochi
Verstappen faces one of the biggest challenges of his season this weekend at a track where Mercedes is unbeaten after winning every race at Sochi since its debut in 2014.
The Red Bull driver believes this could be the year to end that reign after finishing second at the track last year - albeit thanks to a double penalty for Hamilton - and with his car is in a far better position on this occasion.
“It’s always difficult to tell but I think last year actually wasn’t too bad for us," assessed Verstappen.
"Of course, this hasn’t been an amazing track for us but I think also this year everything is a bit different
“It doesn’t matter where we go I think generally we are a bit more competitive. We will have to wait and see but I am still very confident we can have a good weekend.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner accuser 'angry and upset' over Red Bull SNUB as Perez bemoans lack of clarity - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
F1 fans provide SHOCK reaction to Verstappen Australian GP comments
- 3 hours ago
Ricciardo makes SHOCK F1 admission - ‘I wanted it to be over’
- Yesterday 21:57
Verstappen 'doesn't like' AWKWARD Red Bull Horner questions
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 champion issues DOUBT over Hamilton Ferrari move
- Yesterday 19:58
F1 News Today: Mercedes make HUGE Hamilton admission as FIA announce update on Horner scandal
- Yesterday 19:41
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
- GP AUSTRALIA 22 - 24 Mar
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
Related news
F1 calendar shortened: Is it right to decide against replacing Russian Grand Prix?
F1 decide NOT to replace axed Russian Grand Prix
Schumacher 'hopes and prays' for Ukraine after Russian GP axe
McLaren insist dropped Russian GP was "untenable"
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860