Verstappen 'did what any driver would do' in Abu Dhabi - Hamilton
Verstappen 'did what any driver would do' in Abu Dhabi - Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has insisted rival Max Verstappen did 'what any driver would do' in his situation during the ending to last season's controversial finale in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen took full advantage of a late safety-car period, subsequent pit stop to take on used soft tyres and the decisions of then race director Michael Masi to claim his first F1 championship with a move on Hamilton on old rubber on the last lap.
It led to questions being raised as to the legitimacy of Verstappen's title, particularly as radio messages implied Masi had been coerced by Red Bull with regard to some of those decisions.
Following a near 10-week period of silence, on his first media appearance since that race at the launch of Mercedes' new car for this season, Hamilton was asked whether the relationship with his rival would be affected this year.
"This has nothing to do with Max," stressed the seven-time champion. "Max did everything a driver would do given the opportunity he was given.
"He is a great competitor and we will go into another battle like we did last year and conduct ourselves... we will obviously grow from our races and experiences we had last year also this season.
"[I have] no issues with him. I don't hold any grudges with anybody. I don't think that is ever a good thing to carry around with you so I move forwards. I don't dwell on the past and as I said before, I feel fresh, I feel centred and fully focused.
"I don't have anything holding me back this year. Not that I did last year but I am not letting that experience be one of those."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
EXCLUSIVE: Insider claims F1 Academy and W Series couldn't co-exist
- 19 minutes ago
Wolff delivers big verdict on Hamilton behaviour
- 1 hour ago
Red Bull partner reveals HUGE F1 2026 entry details
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton salutes New York after making F1 HISTORY
- 3 hours ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix: A detailed look at Miami International Autodrome layout
- 3 hours ago
Former F1 boss SLAMS sport's major change
- Today 15:57
Related news
Hamilton and Wolff centre stage as F1 shuts down New York for new emoji launch
F1 wonderkid in Imola TEST amid driver replacement reports
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
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