“Only Lewis Could Do That”: Forgetting Ugly Rivalry With Hamilton, Former Nemesis Falls in Love With His Supernatural Talent

Ayrton Senna versus Alain Prost. Lewis Hamilton versus Fernando Alonso. Sebastian Vettel versus Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen. These are a few of the most intense rivalries Formula 1 has ever seen. But one rivalry that could go down as one of the most explosive ones was Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg when they were teammates from 2013 to 2016 at Mercedes. It’s a fact that the sport thrives on rivalries, the most intense ones of which keep fans coming back for more. And the Mercedes rivalry that ended with Rosberg beating Hamilton to the 2016 championship was a classic. And although it didn’t end on the friendliest notes, Rosberg seems to have buried the past as he praised his old rival after qualifying in Hungary.

No one knows the Hungaroring quite like Hamilton does. And he proved that during qualifying on Saturday. After putting his car on the front row behind Max Verstappen with his first run in Q3, the seven-time champion had more pace to unleash. And in his second run, he unleashed that pace in the “perfect” way. While Verstappen couldn’t improve his time in his second run, Hamilton—with two personal best sectors that put him 0.124s ahead of his rival and one yellow sector—bettered Max’s time by the slimmest of margins—0.003s—and claimed his ninth pole in Hungary.

While discussing his mega lap, Rosberg couldn’t help but compliment his former teammate and rival’s driving. As per a tweet, he said, “That lap there, I just saw it. It’s like perfection, it’s an art. Only Lewis Hamilton could do that on such days, no one could have gone, not even a hundredth quicker.” Despite not having the best pace in his RB19, Verstappen put in a good lap in his first run. And even after his second run in which he didn’t improve, his time was good enough to retain P1. That was, until Hamilton put in the lap of his life, laid everything out on track, and took pole away from Verstappen.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton’s Heroics Ruined With “Sting in a Tail” as Max Verstappen Termed 3 Tenths Quicker Despite Falling Short of Pole

No one has been able to break Red Bull’s race-winning streak this season. But with Hamilton having clinched pole and considering his perfection and talent, according to Rosberg, could he be the one to secure the first non-Red Bull win of the season? While he would be gunning for it, he must be wary of his 2021 rival.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are set to fight it out in Hungary

With Hamilton and Verstappen starting first and second, this is the first time they’re sharing the front row since the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP—the night it all went down, the night a season-long explosive battle ended. But in Hungary, it’s all set to reignite as the two will most likely go wheel-to-wheel into Turn 1. Considering Mercedes has good race pace here, especially after its front wing upgrade from Silverstone, Hamilton will do everything he can to golf off Verstappen. But Max might have different plans.

After falling short in qualifying, Verstappen wouldn’t want a repeat in the race, too. And with Red Bull’s mega long-run pace, there’s no doubt he’ll fight Lewis for the lead right from the start. And considering he has a 99-point lead in the championship, he doesn’t have much to lose by going all in and fighting Lewis hard. 

Who will come out on top today? Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen?

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