Hamilton Dismisses ‘Childish’ Mind Games With Title Rival Verstappen

The streets of Monaco saw two different outcomes for this year’s primary title contenders. While Red Bull and Max Verstappen had a weekend to remember, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton had one to forget.

While Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton came home in seventh place. To make matters worse, his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was forced to retire after a mistake made in the pits, which ruined Mercedes’ chances of taking a podium in the Principality.

With Verstappen taking a four-point lead in the championship, the Dutchman had a few words for the Briton. However, Lewis responded to his championship rival with fewer words than before.

Lewis Hamilton “couldn’t care less” about Verstappen’s post-race comments

With Red Bull putting in a strong showing in Monaco, Mercedes relinquished their lead in both championships this Sunday. And while their battle on track is heating up, it seems their lead drivers have begun a verbal battle of their own.

Before the weekend started, Hamilton made a comment on Verstappen implying he had something to prove. However, after the win, Verstappen responded in the post-race press conference with a simple statement: “Actions speak louder than words.”

When asked for a response to Verstappen, Hamilton had a simple answer of his own. “I couldn’t care less. They did a great job this weekend and that’s that,” said Hamilton.

The Briton also gave his opinion on a potential verbal battle with Verstappen. “It’s childish in the end when you start getting into a war of words,” said the Briton.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton: His Road Through F1 How He Discovered His Love For Racing

Hamilton: We’ve had some good races also

Although he trails Verstappen by just four points, Hamilton has three race wins this season. He highlighted that while Red Bull had a great weekend in Monaco, Mercedes has also had great races this season.

The 36-year-old said, “We’ve had some good races also. There are 17 races to go. I’m not going to [say more].”

With the championship battle now headed to Baku, the rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen might have an extra dimension. Although they have an age gap of 13 years, is a verbal battle the next phase of their rivalry?