The Formula 1 saga spans seven decades of a thrilling rollercoaster ride. And lately, it’s reached a whole new level of intensity thanks to the fierce competition between two powerhouse teams, Mercedes and Red Bull. These teams have made a significant impact on the sport on the track. However, it’s their verbal sparring outside the races that has captured the attention of fans. Recently, Lewis Hamilton and his team boss took aim at Max Verstappen, igniting a fiery debate.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton‘s comments about having a “stronger teammate” have generated significant discussion. The Mercedes’ maestro seems to have overlooked certain critical facts that have always been right in front of all of us.
Lewis Hamilton undermines Max Verstappen’s achievements
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Max Verstappen showcased exceptional performance this season. Following a record-breaking previous season, the Dutch driver, piloting his RB19, etched his name into the annals of history. He achieved this feat by securing ten consecutive victories from the Miami Grand Prix to the Italian GP. This remarkable consistency seemed to irk Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff, who had grown weary of the widespread praise for Max Verstappen and his team. To counter this, they stirred up controversy in the F1 world with a series of disparaging remarks.
Lewis Hamilton claimed he possessed a stronger teammate than Max Verstappen. Three of his previous teammates, including Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso (a two-time champion), and Nico Rosberg, have been world champions. Also considering the aggressive competitiveness displayed by Valtteri Bottas in his pursuit of wins, the 7X champion’s assertion is valid.
While talking to Sky F1, Hamilton highlighted, “In my personal opinion, all my teammates have been stronger than the teammates Max has had: Jenson, Fernando, George, Valtteri, Nico. I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent – and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”
Although Hamilton makes valid points, he appears to have missed important statistics revealed in a video by The Race. The video suggests that the Brit overlooked crucial stats. “Broadly speaking, Hamilton is making a valid point… It’s clear from our ratings that Hamilton has overall faced a tougher set of teammates than Verstappen has so far. However, it’s also fair to say Hamilton has stretched his point by claiming all his own teammates were stronger than any teammates Verstappen has faced,” the narrator says in the video.
A young Max Verstappen competed against experienced drivers like Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo during his early years. This certainly challenges the narrative of the Mercedes champ. “That summary conveniently ignores Rosberg’s cover line and also overestimates Bottas, as well as underestimating what Sainz and Ricciardo achieved in the early years of Verstappen’s career,” the narrator says in the video.
Both sides are now leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to outdo each other. Meanwhile, Christian Horner has taken center stage by suggesting that Toto Wolff “lacks understanding”.
Christian Horner defends Max Verstappen by taking a swipe at Toto Wolff
The existing points gap between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez tells a clear story. It makes it easy to understand why Christian Horner and the team favor the Dutchman over anyone else. Meanwhile, Verstappen also displayed outstanding performance. He created a 1.313-second gap and earned a pole position at the recent Dutch Grand Prix. This has prompted Toto Wolff to raise concerns and draw attention to the situation.
In his statement, Wolff expressed his inability to understand the “odd” and “bizarre” gap that exists between the Red Bull drivers. However, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Christian Horner launched verbal attacks at Toto Wolff, challenging his understanding of the sport.
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⚠️ | Toto Wolff says Max Verstappen "destroys" his teammates because the car is built around his preferences.
"It's hard to understand why the gap is so huge. On the other hand, we've seen Max destroy all his previous teammate."
"Maybe it's because he has the car built around… pic.twitter.com/IuSxJ29cMb
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 26, 2023
According to F1.com, he said, “It shows a total lack of understanding of how a race car and team develop, if Toto thinks that we’re developing a car around a single driver.” Later, he made clear his stance and said, “You develop a car to be as quick as you can, and sometimes quick cars are difficult cars. That’s what’s historically been the case. And I think that drivers adapt.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Helmut Marko’s Frightening Reality Slap: Lewis Hamilton Downplays Max Verstappen’s Dominance!
Could Mercedes’ remarks be interpreted as a ploy to distract Red Bull from their pursuit of perfection?