Former F1 Champion Claims Lewis Hamilton’s Move Against Max Verstappen a Statement of Intent

Lewis Hamilton clinched his eighth British GP title after an aggressive driving display, overtaking drivers after drivers at Silverstone. The Briton secured his fourth win of the season in style after passing Charles Leclerc three laps before the checkered flag.

After the wheel-to-wheel battle between Verstappen and Hamilton, the two arch-rivals collided at Copse. And the stewards awarded the Knight a 10s penalty, despite which Hamilton secured his first win after Spain GP this year.

The aggressiveness shown by the seven-time world champion, Hamilton, during the opening lap received mixed reactions, and one person impressed with it was 1994 world champion, Damon Hill.

WATCH STORY: From Shocking Lewis Hamilton Crash to Ferrari Pit Stop Blunder: Most Sensational Moments in Bahrain GP History

What did Damon Hill say?

Appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill spoke about Hamilton’s driving during the British GP.

He said, “I’ve never seen Lewis drive that aggressively. The only thing I can come up with is Barcelona with Nico Rosberg.

“I do wonder whether it was something that happened the previous day in the sprint. It was a statement of intent, wasn’t it? It was Lewis saying, ‘listen, I’m a street fighter and if you’re going to get rough with me, I’m going to have to show you what I’ve got and he’s done that.”

Furthermore, Damon Hill claims the combativeness put in place by his compatriot has made a psychological dent in Max Verstappen.

“Psychologically, that has made a dent in Max. It has to. It’s made him realize Lewis, in a wheel-to-wheel battle, is not going to back down. That’s got to go down in the mental notebook,” added former champion.

Lewis Hamilton – MaxVerstappen rivalry reminds of Senna-Prost: Damon Hill

The title rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is exactly what fans want to witness after seven years of dominance by the Silver Arrows.

Meanwhile, this year’s rivalry between the duo reminds Damon Hill of that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

“The level and intensity of it reminded me of Senna and Prost and the way Senna used to terrorize Alain Prost.” said 1994 world champion Damon Hill in an interview with Talksport.

“I think he (Lewis Hamilton) was doubly wound up to retrieve his position and they are fighting for a world championship. Max has never had a world championship and Lewis is trying to get his eighth, and he doesn’t want to miss out,” added Hill.

Read More: WATCH: Max Verstappen Groaning in Pain on Radio After Massive 51G F1 Crash at Silverstone

With the kind of incident that took place in Silverstone, many expect their rivalry to reach another level of intensity as the season progresses. What do you think will happen in Hungary? Do we have another wheel-to-wheel battle on the cards?