James Hunt and Niki Lauda’s friendship is one of the best examples of what F1 friendships look like. Arch rivals on track, not giving each other even an inch of space, and off track, the best of friends. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel also shared a similar relationship. Yet, a Max Verstappen’s ally recently hurled Lando Norris and George Russell’s friendship at Lewis Hamilton as the 7X champion’s VIP antics were questioned. Who is the Verstappen ally and what VIP antics are being talked about? 

The world of Formula 1 has changed drastically over the last decade. Not just the cars, but the drivers as well. Earlier, it was unusual for drivers to be very good friends except for some exceptions like Hunt-Lauda. The cutthroat world of F1 is more or less the same, however, most of the drivers are great friends and hang out with each other often as well as travel together.

George Russell, Lando Norris, and Alex Albon are very good friends. As Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard talked about friendships and relationships on the Formula for Success podcast, the Max Verstappen ally advised how all the young drivers seem to relate to each other. Lewis Hamilton was pointed out as the outlier as Coulthard questioned why Hamilton needed a security guard around him in the paddock (a big VIP practice!)

According to the Formula for Success podcast, David Coulthard said, “The only outlier would really be Lewis, maybe it’s because Lewis has been around for longer. He’s the only driver who actually has a security man that works with him at the track, I don’t know what danger he feels he might be in. Other than that You see quite a lot of the younger guys, your Georges, your Landos, and whoever else, hanging out with each other away from the racetrack.”

George Russell and Lando Norris’ friendship and off-track meetups were thrown at Lewis Hamilton. The Briton is hardly seen with any other driver off the track. Nonetheless, all the other drivers are spotted regularly in each other’s company. Let’s see some of these examples from recent times.

Read More: “Lewis Was Robbed”: F1 Legend Triggers Max Verstappen’s Insecurities by Battling for Justice for Hamilton

George Russell and Daniel Ricciardo at Tomorrowland

George Russell and Daniel Ricciardo partied at Tomorrowland together during the summer break. The two were spotted together with their girlfriends Carmen Montero Mundt and Heidi Berger. George Russell even posted a picture of the same on Instagram. In recent times, Lando Norris has posted pictures with Alex Albon as he traveled to the races with him.

And not only the young guns but also the old ones. Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas flew to the Dutch GP together as the Spaniard gifted Bottas some slippers. The only time when Hamilton was spotted with the other drivers was for Sebastian Vettel’s farewell dinner. 

What do you make of David Coulthard’s comments? Is he right in calling Lewis Hamilton an outlier?

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