Imagine you hear Lewis Hamilton saying this: “In my personal opinion, Valtteri [Bottas] and all my teammates have been stronger than the teammates Max [Verstappen] has had.” What would be your first thought? Are Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz (among others) not as strong as Valtteri Bottas, Nico Rosberg, and George Russell (again, among others)? Because that’s precisely what Hamilton meant while undermining Max Verstappen’s dominance.

Heading into the Italian GP, Verstappen was on the brink of history—gunning to win his 10th consecutive race, something no one has ever done in Formula 1. Even though Hamilton has previously (hypocritically) stated that he isn’t a fan of Verstappen’s dominance, this might’ve gone a step too far. Not only did this insult Verstappen, but Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher got caught in the crossfire as well.

Lewis Hamilton inadvertently insulted one of his closest friends

Even though Red Bull has denied it several times, it’s pretty evident that Verstappen will always be its number one driver. To be fair, though, considering how much he’s achieved and done for the team, no one can really hold it against the Milton-Keynes outfit for building its team around the soon-to-be three-time champion. This number one driver role is what directed Hamilton’s insult at Schumacher and his close friend Vettel as well.

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Discussing the seven-time champion’s insulting statements on the F1 Nation Podcast, host Tom Clarkson said, “The model at Red Bull is something we’ve seen before with Seb[astian] Vettel, and one that we’ve seen before at Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, in that, there is an obvious number one driver there behind whom the team gets.” When Vettel was at Red Bull from 2009 to 2013, he raced alongside Mark Webber, who had to assume the role of the second driver after the team realized Vettel’s potential. At Ferrari, Schumacher built the team around himself, with Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, and Felipe Massa all having to take a backseat.

Clarkson added, “I felt Lewis was taking a bit of a dig at Max, and I felt it was slightly unfair. But I think Max has had some decent teammates. Daniel Ricciardo is not a bad driver. I don’t think Sergio Perez is a bad driver. Both race winners.” Neither were Webber, Barrichello, Irvine, or Massa. But Hamilton’s statement unknowingly did extend to them and their first-driver counterparts. Despite the comments meant to downplay Verstappen’s achievements, they didn’t affect the Dutchman. But that didn’t stop him from returning the favor.

“Gets Blown up a Lot More”: Lewis Hamilton Accuses Media of Favoring Max Verstappen & Dismissing His Achievements

Max Verstappen hit back at Lewis Hamilton, calling Mercedes sore losers

Mercedes, as a constructor, dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021. In those eight years, Hamilton won six of the Drivers’ Championships. Needless to say, Hamilton & Co. got accustomed to winning and staying in the front. But after the 2022 regulation changes that Red Bull nailed, but Mercedes didn’t get right, they had to relinquish the title. Responding to Hamilton’s comments, Verstappen said, “I think it’s very difficult for them to deal with losses at Mercedes after all these years that they have won so much. But at some point, you also have to be realistic if you know it’s not in it.”

He added, “Then, you have to be able to appreciate what other teams do. We have always done that in the years that they were dominant.” After giving Hamilton a verbal bashing, Verstappen rubbed it in further by winning a 10th consecutive race, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record of 9. Despite his accomplishments, Mercedes still shied away from appreciating Red Bull’s dominance, with Toto Wolff even saying, “[Verstappen’s] numbers are for Wikipedia. Nobody reads that anyway.”

What did you think about the comments Lewis Hamilton made about Verstappen and what the Dutchman said in return?

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