Lewis Hamilton Reveals a Long List of Reasons Max Verstappen is Out to Get Him

If there’s one rivalry that’s so fearsome in Formula 1 in recent times, it’s Max Verstappen versus Lewis Hamilton rivalry. The duo not only battled each other very hard on the track but also took each other out multiple times in recent years. As the rivalry reached its peak in 2021, Hamilton recently revealed why he was a target in Verstappen’s eyes a year later.

Talking about this, the seven-time world champion conveyed during an interview with Channel 4 Sport, “I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory, I mean I think all you have to do is listen to the words that certain individuals say about me, competitor-wise, and then also just look back at the way those individuals behave on track around me.”

“It kind of shows you kind of that it’s most often a bit different to others and I don’t. I can’t explain fully exactly why, but it’s part of it. I’m sure to do time that I’ve had here, the experience that I’ve had here, the success I’ve had here,” further asserted the British F1 driver.

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Furthermore, emphasizing the fact as to how and why he knows he is a target, Hamilton stated, “I would say I know because I remember when I got to the sport that Target was someone else who had the success and my goal was to challenge them and you almost wanted to show how tough you are, always wanted to show how good you are, compared to that person, etc, etc.”

Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen on track conflicts in recent years

Both the Mercedes and Red Bull star drivers went against each other multiple times on the track. Being very feisty, none of the drivers were ready to concede positions as they gave their best.

The 2021 Bahrain race showed what was coming later in the year as the duo battled it all out in the very first race. Amid small tussles, the next big incident was in Silverstone when Hamilton tangled Verstappen. The Dutchman suffered a horrific 51G crash against the barriers.

Italy was on the cards next as Hamilton came out of the pit lane to take the lead of the race. However, Verstappen was in no mood to give it away and they crashed and took each other out in T2. The next was in Saudi Arabia when the Dutchman brake tested the Briton and received a penalty from the stewards.

Ultimately, the last lap showdown in Abu Dhabi saw one of the most intense battles in the sport as Verstappen edged Hamilton for the win. Despite the 2021 season being gone, there was no love lost between them.

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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen recently collided again on track in Brazil in 2022 after the safety car restart. All in all, Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen is a treat to watch when they’re on track, competing against each other.