“The Timing Does Surprise Me”: Max Verstappen on Lewis Hamilton’s Shock Exit

We still remember the date, the 1st of February. It seemed as if April Fools had come a couple of weeks earlier. But no, it was true, Lewis Hamilton was moving to Ferrari. After winning 6 titles with Mercedes, the 7X champ decided to move ships. It came as a massive shock to the whole F1 community. Many pundits even considered the move as the biggest move in the history of F1. So it’s but natural for his arch-rival, Max Verstappen to be shocked about it as well, right? Let’s see what the Dutchman had to say. 

The 2021 F1 season, especially the Abu Dhabi GP finale sealed Hamilton and Verstappen’s fate together as arch rivals. And now, after the launch of the RB20, Max Verstappen came out to comment on Lewis Hamilton’s surprise Ferrari move. After all, Mercedes weren’t able to give Hamilton a title-challenging car, so it’ll be interesting to see what Verstappen thinks of the move.

Ferrari is a brand that every driver thinks of driving for. The word Ferrari itself is synonymous with the word racing. Enzo Ferrari said, “Ask a Child to draw a racing car and he will draw it Red.” Max Verstappen also suggested the lure of the Ferrari brand but was quick to point out the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari announcement as surprising. He did however give a reason for the same as well.

Max Verstappen said, “I understand. It is a great brand that has achieved a lot in this sport. If your dream is to one day race for Ferrari, such a switch ultimately makes sense. I don’t feel that need myself. not necessarily to another team, even if I win more titles here. My mind is not in that position. I don’t know the ins and outs of the discussions, so it is difficult for me to judge. The timing does surprise me because Hamilton and Mercedes have to spend a year together. As a driver, you are no longer allowed to attend some meetings.”

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But Max Verstappen isn’t the only driver that was shaken by Lewis Hamilton’s move. Even Hamilton’s rookie season teammate Fernando Alonso was surprised at the news as he commented on the same. 

“Not his childhood dream 12 months ago”: Fernando Alonso takes a dig at Lewis Hamilton while reacting to 7X champs Ferrari move

Fernando Alonso is arguably the driver on the F1 grid who’s made the most shocking team moves during his career. He won in 2006 with Renault and moved to McLaren. Then from McLaren back to Renault. Then to Ferrari and back to McLaren. Took a 2 year break, came back with Alpine(formerly Renault), and now with Aston Martin. However, this didn’t stop Alonso from taking a jab at Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move.

Fernando Alonso said, “It probably was a surprise, I will not lie, not because of the change itself, it was just because from the outside it seemed like he was very linked with Mercedes and very loyal to them and it was a little bit unexpected. But I don’t know the inside, I don’t know the reasons behind, I don’t know anything, I don’t know the stories so it’s more a question for him… It was not his childhood dream 12 months ago no? Or two months ago I guess, because he had a different dream so nothing really to comment.”

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