Max Verstappen Explains if His Rivalry With Lewis Hamilton Is Personal - “We Want to Beat Each Other”

Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had one of the fiercest rivalries in history for the championship in the 2021 season. The Dutchman edged the Briton in that season by the narrowest of margins to win his maiden title. Although many fans and experts believe that the two drivers arguably had the most intense battle ever, Verstappen does not want people to have such a perception of his rivalry with Hamilton. Instead, he told The Times (as quoted by RBR Daily),

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“I don’t need that kind of rivalry. Of course, we want to beat each other, but honestly, once we’re in a private setting it’s like just normal guys“.

However, it is pertinent to note that the Verstappen-Hamilton rivalry in 2021 was nothing ordinary. Not only did the two take jibes against each other during pressers, but so did their team bosses.

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Mercedes F1 CEO Toto Wolff and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner were often at odds with one another. They did their best to defend their drivers whenever an incident took place between the two title rivals. Moreover, the effects of the Hamilton-Verstappen rivalry remain even today.

In recent F1 history, no rivalry has perhaps polarized fans as much as the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen. For example, over the past few years, several Hamilton fans continue to claim that the only reason Verstappen won the championship in 2021 was due to a “human error“. Although the FIA did acknowledge that there was a “human error” that resulted in poor officiating, in no way one can take away how well Verstappen drove that season.

While Hamilton and his fans undoubtedly felt hard done by the stewards’ decision during the Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen himself does not want to be a part of such a rivalry ever again. As for Hamilton and Mercedes, they are eager to recover from the slump they have been suffering ever since the conclusion of the 2021 campaign.

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Can Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull in 2024?

Mercedes have suffered their worst downfall in the past two seasons. In this duration, the team has just managed one win when George Russell clinched a victory at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.

As for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, they have achieved unprecedented dominance. The Dutchman has won three consecutive championships and has also helped Red Bull lift the Constructors’ title in the last two seasons.

What has been mind-boggling about the 26-year-old’s recent championship wins is the way he has dominated the seasons. In 2022, Verstappen registered a then-record of 15 race wins. It then took him just another year to break his own record as he won 19 of the 2022 races in 2023.

As for Lewis Hamilton, he has suffered his worst-ever run in F1 history. The last two seasons are the only years in which he has failed to register a single win.

Hence, the 39-year-old will now hope that his fortune changes in 2024. The Briton will hope that Mercedes’ W15 is capable of fighting for wins and the championship after its predecessors just did not have the pace to fight the mighty Red Bulls.