Formula 1, over the years, has witnessed racing drivers in the sport possessing different characters, with quite a lot falling into the ‘interesting’ category. However, Endurance Championship racing driver, Giedo van der Garde, believes that Lewis Hamilton is not one of them.

The Dutchman claimed that the seven-time world champion’s character altered over his 14-year journey in F1. Although Lewis is still the same on the track, his off-track enthusiasms have apparently have stepped down a bit.

However, this doesn’t take away anything from the Briton, who could soon rewrite history and end up as the world’s most successful F1 driver.

He stands just one championship title away from setting a new world championship record, which Michael Schumacher had been holding until Hamilton equaled it in the 2020 season.

Van der Garde’s view on Lewis Hamilton

Speaking to RTL GP Magazine, van der Garde opened up that Lewis Hamilton changed from occasionally being a “crazy” person to becoming a “bit boring.”

“He has really changed as a person,” he is quoted as saying by PlanetF1. “Sometimes Lewis would do something crazy off the track, but not for a long time.

“It’s fine what he does on the track, but he’s become a bit of a boring guy.”

Although his change in character is unlikely to affect his on-track performance, it is probable that his fandom might take a drastic hit.

With much younger and interesting drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris starting to come under the limelight, it wouldn’t be a surprise if people start switching sides and follow such rising talents.

Max Verstappen hasn’t changed a bit: Van der Garde

Van der Garde felt that Lewis’s potential rival, Max Verstappen, hasn’t changed a bit since his entry into Formula 1. He felt that his compatriot is still the same person who jokes around during non-racing days.

“It isn’t the same with Verstappen. He hasn’t changed. He’s still a normal guy. You can always laugh with him,” the Dutchman said.

The new F1 season is just a month away from its commencement. Similar to the past few years, all eyes will be on the potential ignition of rivalry between Lewis and Max.

Moreover, with Red Bull looking to up their game over their final season with Honda, it is likely that the Austrian-based outfit could be a threat to Mercedes‘ constructor title hopes.

So, could 2021 deliver something that has been missed in F1 over the last couple of years; a championship fight down to the wire?

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