Max Verstappen did not just shatter Lewis Hamilton‘s hopes of a Spanish GP victory, he also shattered his sleep! The Dutch racer made a playful dig at the seven-time World Champion by bringing up his age. Of course, the Mercedes racer falls on the “older” part of the current grid as he is nearing his 40s. Thus, when Lewis decided to take a nap while waiting for the other drivers to arrive at the post-race conference, his Red Bull rival found the perfect moment to crack his joke.

The Spanish Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen take away a resounding win with Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton at his tail. When the Silver Arrows racer arrived at the press conference after the race, he found himself alone on the couch. This is because his fellow podium holders had not arrived yet. So, he played a classic Bob Marley song on his phone and went for a slight slumber.

However, Max Verstappen walked in on the scene. The 26-year-old said on the X video, “He’s clearly getting old. Do you need a massage?” Of course, he indicated that the Mercedes driver taking a nap indicated he was tired and did not have the stamina of the younger racers. Thus, the Dutch lion made a jab at his 2021 Championship rival and claimed Lewis Hamilton’s age was getting to him.

No matter what Max Verstappen says about Lewis’ age, the Mercedes driver still delivered a solid performance in Barcelona. Even though his teammate George Russell charged behind him, Hamilton kept his cool and held on to his P3 position with which he had started the race. Hence, no wonder Lewis Hamilton needed some sleep after the valiant defense he put up to save his first podium win of 2024!

Lewis Hamilton’s sleep stunt is nothing new in the F1 2024 season

Lewis Hamilton might have tickled Max Verstappen’s funnybones with his quick nap at the post-race conference. However, this is not the first time such an incident has happened on the plush press couch. After the Monaco GP, podium winners Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, and Charles Leclerc were supposed to gather for a chat. However, the McLaren racer and the #55 Spaniard were the only ones who made it on time. As they waited for home race winner Leclerc to arrive, they drifted off to sleep just like Hamilton recently did in Spain.

Once the conference kicked off, Oscar Piastri admitted, “I think I slept longer than I did last night waiting for Charles [Leclerc] just now.” At only 23, Piastri is 16 years younger than Lewis Hamilton, yet they both fell asleep waiting on their fellow racers in the conference room. This goes to show that Max Verstappen’s hypothesis about Hamilton’s age being the downfall of his stamina is untrue.

Speaking of Lewis Hamilton’s stamina at 39, his latest Ferrari contract deserves mention. The Briton successfully closed a $100 million deal to take on a new role as a Scuderia driver. With this, he clammed shut all those critics who were saying he should retire. Thus, not only is the Stevenage-born ready to take on his much-awaited eighth World Championship, but he won the Spanish GP podium today to prove he still has the fire in him too. Do you think the Barcelona podium is a sign Hamilton is going to win several more top-3 finishes this year? Let us know in the comments below.