formula 1
Hamilton: “All teammates stronger” than Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain from the Mercedes team steers his vehicle in the pit lane. photo
© Hasan Bratic/dpa
Fernando Alonso or Nico Rosberg: Lewis Hamilton even had world champions as stable rivals in Formula 1 – World Cup dominator Max Verstappen did not. Hamilton notes this pointedly. Verstappen replies.
Record world champion Lewis Hamilton has the quality of Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 teammates questioned compared to his own “In my opinion, all my teammates were stronger than Max’s teammates,” Hamilton told English TV broadcaster Sky Sports F1 on the sidelines of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
The 38-year-old Mercedes driver listed the world champions Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, among others. “I’ve had so many, these guys were all very, very strong, very consistent. And Max hasn’t raced against anyone like her.”
Team boss is relaxed about comments
At the same time, Hamilton praised Verstappen and Red Bull for their previous achievements. “The car is incredible, the drivers are doing a great job, very consistent, the pit crew is doing a great job, the mechanics are doing a good job, the strategy is doing a good job – everything to the point, nothing to complain about,” said Hamilton , who only lost his eighth world title on the last lap in a controversial final against Verstappen in 2021. At that time, the Dutchman won his first title.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is relaxed about Hamilton’s comments about the quality of his teammates. “Lewis rode against world champions like Jenson and Nico,” said the Austrian on Saturday in Monza. The performance of the now two-time world champion Verstappen was outstanding, and Hamilton’s comment was just a joke.
“A Little Jealous”
Verstappen has won the past nine Grands Prix. If he also succeeds on the high-speed course north of Milan, he would be the sole record holder ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Before the 14th Grand Prix of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky), Verstappen’s current lead over second, his teammate Sergio Perez, is 138 points. He has never had a world champion as a stable rival in his career.
“Maybe he’s a little jealous of my current success,” Verstappen was quoted as saying in several media in response to Hamilton. “I think Mercedes finds it very difficult to deal with defeat after winning so much over the years.” At a certain point, however, you have to be able to “recognize what other teams are doing,” Verstappen said.