Despite Not Seeing Eye To Eye, Max Verstappen Sympathizes With Sworn Enemy Lewis Hamilton Over Last Year’s Devastating Defeat: “It’s Just Awful…”

It’s safe to say that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are bitter rivals. Last year, there was hardly a weekend where either of the two didn’t say or do anything that fueled the conclusion. That being said, as it turns out, Max Verstappen is a Lewis Hamilton sympathizer after all.

2021 was arguably the most bitter year for 7x Champion Lewis Hamilton. The Knight fought valiantly with Verstappen and it all came down to the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen emerged victorious in controversial circumstances. But what it must have felt like for Hamilton isn’t lost on the 2x Champion.

Speaking to Sky Sports about this, he said, “Everything looked good for Lewis, but then it happened.” [translated via Google Translate]

“That is heavy. There would always be one winner and one loser. If you’re on the losing side, it’s going to be bad either way. And no matter how, if you lose, you lose. And it’s just awful when you’re so close, isn’t it?”

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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have given us one of the best rivalries in the recent history of Formula 1. That being said, does Hamilton think that the rivalry has enough in it to sustain itself in the blockbuster manner that it has till now?

Lewis Hamilton unsure Max Verstappen collisions will stop throughout their rivalry

Lewis Hamilton has been on the bad side of Verstappen oftentimes through 2021 and now in 2022 as well. Well, it’s up to the Dutch lion’s aggression as well, but the 7x Champion believes it is on him to avoid and for Verstappen to mature if they ever want to race wheel-to-wheel.

“Most likely. I think I’ll adapt,” said the Brit about their wheel-to-wheel battles.

He continued, “You’ve seen in previous years that I try to avoid [contact] in scenarios. I’m sure we’ll grow, both sides will grow and improve hopefully so we don’t have experiences like we did in the last race, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

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Max Verstappen has just started to make a name for himself in the world of Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is nearing the end of his road in the sport. How much longer will the two meet each other on track?