Verstappen claims that Hamilton is 'maybe JEALOUS' of his recent success
Verstappen claims that Hamilton is 'maybe JEALOUS' of his recent success
Red Bull's Max Verstappen has responded to Lewis Hamilton's recent comments, suggesting that the seven-time world champion might be "jealous" of his current success.
Verstappen is currently on the verge of chasing a record-breaking tenth consecutive win in Formula 1 as he homes in on a third consecutive world title.
Hamilton had recently stirred the pot on Sky Sports with comments about Verstappen's dominance, claiming that the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and George Russell are all "stronger" than the Dutchman's former team-mates.
Speaking after the qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix where Verstappen finished P2, just 0.013s to his former Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz, the two-time world champion responded to the Mercedes star.
"Maybe Lewis is a bit jealous of my current success," Verstappen was quoted by De Telegraaf.
"He might think he can win something with those kinds of statements, but it doesn't matter to me."
READ MORE: Verstappen 'happy to be second' after losing out on pole to Sainz at Monza
Sore losers?
Verstappen went on to suggest that Mercedes may be finding it challenging to cope with the shift in dynamics after enjoying eight consecutive years of dominance in F1.
"I think Mercedes has a hard time dealing with losing after winning so much for so many years," stated the world championship leader.
"But at some point, you have to be realistic when you know it's not there. Then you have to appreciate what other teams are doing.
"We've always done that in the years when they were dominant."
The Dutch driver also emphasised the importance of focusing on one's own performance rather than getting caught up in external comments.
"You can keep shouting that what we're doing isn't that special or have that tone," he said.
"Maybe they don't always say it, but they think it. While you should just focus on yourself. That's the only thing you have control over. I don't need these kinds of things."
While Verstappen is laser-focused on a record-breaking tenth consecutive race win, Hamilton has admitted it's going to be almost "impossible" to beat Verstappen's former team-mate Alex Albon.
READ MORE: Mercedes outline their 2024 chances of fighting for the F1 title
Related news
Verstappen questioned for 'roasting' his engineer with furious radio rants
FIA steward reveals Hamilton 'slammed door' after controversial decision
Hamilton and Leclerc post same cryptic message after disqualification drama
Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet unimpressed by podium boos at US Grand Prix
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860