Max Verstappen was unimpressed with Lewis Hamilton’s complaint about his driving at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver said he “got torpedoed” by Verstappen when they collided at the start of the race. “I thought at some stage I’d get torpedoed by Max,” he added.But Verstappen disagreed with Hamilton’s description of the collision. “Looking at turn one and two in Mexico I don’t think that happened,” he said.
“From my side it was a bit of a silly comment to make. I think I am always a hard racer, but fair. I think it’s just not correct.
“Of course it’s easy to have a dig at someone. But from my side it’s fine. I think it’s always positive when they talk about you because that means that you are in their heads. So from my side I just focus on my driving and that’s enough said.”
Sebastian Vettel said he agreed with Hamilton’s remarks about it being “very likely you’re going to come together with Max” when racing him. Verstappen said that “shows that I’m in their heads.”
“I guess that’s a good thing, ” he continued. “But from my side I don’t need to dig into other people in a press conference.
“I think it’s a bit disrespectful as well and I prefer to fight on track, which I love to do. Of course I like to fight hard, but on the edge. Otherwise if they want me to stay behind, it’s better to stay at home.
“I really want to take the fight to them because that’s what we are here for. We are racers, we are in Formula 1, I think we are the best out there and we do fight for victories because that’s what I live for.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2019 F1 season
- Crying in the Melbourne car park at 2019 grand prix was my career low – Ocon
- McLaren Racing reports reduced £71 million loss in 2019
- Kvyat: Hockenheim podium last year was “my biggest achievement” so far
- How the FIA’s new encrypted fuel flow meter targets Ferrari’s suspected ‘aliasing’ trick
- “He smashed my office door”: 23 must-see moments from ‘Drive to Survive’ season two
w0o0dy
31st October 2019, 18:06
Shots fired…. And they missed!
People analyzing the coming together objectively know.. it was Hamilton who dived into a gap that was too small so it was never really going to work.
I guess winning the race made him think it was a great opportunity to try and rattle Max..
He better be careful in the next race.. Max will not give him an inch even if it means they crash. Would be hilarious if Lewis managed to hurt his own championship opportunities by trying to take the fight to Max.
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 18:30
Bravo sir. You did it again. Comment of the day right here Keith! Hahahaha
NeverElectric
31st October 2019, 18:42
Why would Lewis need to “take the fight to” Max? What fight??
Gav
31st October 2019, 19:05
People analyzing the coming together objectively know that you’ve completely misjudged the whole incident.
Hamilton didn’t dive at Turn 2, he was trying to control a slide caused by Max oversteering in to him in Turn 1 (look closely from the aerial view you can see where the Merc floor is damaged from the contact. If you look really close, you can actually the see piece fly behind HAMs car, though you have to be very eagle eyed. Sainz onboard clears it up anyway, you can see the piece come off just after the touch.)
Hamilton won the race, setting up a (sixth) title clincher a week later, Max could and should have won the race and only has himself to blame for not doing so. I think I know who has won this little mind game.
Nathan Builder (@nathanbuilder)
31st October 2019, 19:38
Max is just another Pastor Maldonado.
AK
1st November 2019, 11:29
No dear sir..it was Lewis doing his best Maldonado trick. Like palmer and Brundle said, it was Hamilton who was the aggressive one. Lewis lost control without Verstappen touching him.
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 15:37
Verstappen did touch him and even broke part of his floor, man.
If there was no touch HOW the floor broke then? This things are not made of plastic.
5 days later, the footage is there for anyone to see and still there is people denying the contact. Just wow.
Gav
1st November 2019, 22:22
+1
None so blind as those who refuse to see.
It’s so obvious as well, you can see piece falling off at that moment from Sainz’s onboard. I do wonder what people watch sometimes, and then have the cheek to try and talk about it with authority.
Ldom (@ldom)
31st October 2019, 18:14
Not commenting that particular incident but it seems that VER cannot overtake or interact with another driver without a high level of friction, like wheels on wheels or wheels to sidepod. Most of the other drivers, and certainly HAM, are way cleaner.
He’s certainly fast, but he definitely has to mature. As a F1 fan, IMHO it is getting old. I want to see hard but clean racing. Not people crashing into each other to pass. If I want to see block passes, I watch supercross.
Bram (@br444m)
31st October 2019, 18:40
So have you been watching F1 at all last year?
F1oSaurus (@)
31st October 2019, 20:29
@br444m Have you?
Ldom (@ldom)
31st October 2019, 22:14
Yes, @br444m, as well as all the seasons since I’m 12… which means I’ve been watching F1 for 40 years.
Steveetienne
1st November 2019, 8:10
But Ldom didn’t you know that we live in an era when the kids know best and we shouldn’t question their arguments? 😆
Señor Sjon
1st November 2019, 9:54
The Merc and Ferrari can (usually) overtake on the straights. The RB always has to do that in corners >>> way bigger possibility of damage. Hamilton had a similar record in 2011 when he also needed the corners to overtake instead of blasting past.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:29
+1
Driving in circles
1st November 2019, 11:31
Is only one driver in Formula One who can overtake and makes it exciting and that’s max; all the others were simply driving behind each other; the first corner incident was a stupid mistake by Hamilton and the other one by Bottas who drove into Verstappen’s rear tire damaged that And Bottas should have been punished
Pjotr (@pietkoster)
1st November 2019, 12:27
check! 100% right.
ForzaAlonsoF1
31st October 2019, 18:16
Max, those who want respect, give respect.
Matn
31st October 2019, 18:31
This was way more respectful than Lewis earned…. Max added something which isn’t published here… he mentioned the following about Lewis ‘It’s a shame I haven’t been able to race Lewis more often in a competitive car, he’s always been the best of team mates, six titles is mighty impressive’
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 18:37
Who wants “respect”? Let them go at it. Thats what we all want…No?
Arnoud van Houwelingen (@kavu)
31st October 2019, 19:50
ForzaAlonsoF1 .. Why respect?? .. F1 should not be kindergarten where everyone is so nice to each other on and off the track. Racing should be hard and Max is right that you should go to the limit! Of course you should have respect to each other as a human being but certainly not driving a F1 car .. F1 is getting so soft!
KrisK (@prime)
31st October 2019, 22:56
I want to see Max use superior driving to win races, not a smash up derby. He’s an amazing driver but he’s being outscored by his new teammate. I guess it’s exciting watching Max fight from the back to 6th. Hamilton would have been a sitting duck in Mexico against Max. I would have rather watched that unfold.
Destian Light
31st October 2019, 18:31
Max make the soyboy cry. Thanks Max.
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 18:35
Max is in lewis’ head? Sure… but not because he is any threat to his championship hopes this year, next year, last year or the last 5 years. I understand Max wanting to come back at Lewis’ comments but he is living in a different universe if he thinks he can challenge Lewis over the course of a season anytime soon. Great driver though he is.
w0o0dy
31st October 2019, 18:46
Well if we look a the 2nd half of last year he outscored even Lewis.. so RedBull is capable of producing a car that can fight for the World Championship. Now they need to build a car that can win races from race 1 on… then we’ll see what Max can really do against Lewis (or more accurately Mercedes).
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 19:13
Seasons aren’t competed over 10 races my friend and THAT is my point. Max cannot, as the driver he currently is, compete with Lewis over a whole season.
dan
31st October 2019, 19:15
Wrong yet again mate, Ves was the only one close to Hamilton but he did not outscore his atall so that was lie, Max was super impressive aswell but don’t lie.
mystic one (@mysticus)
31st October 2019, 20:21
@whichever wood packer knocking on the wrong tree…
“Well if we look a the 2nd half of last year he outscored even Lewis” hmm max had won only 1 race vs lewis 6!
lewis scored : 195 points since spa to end… and total season was 408
max scored : 144 points since spa to end… and total season was 249
yup max outscored lewis in his virtual imaginations…
whatever you are smoking, i think you are borrowing from max himself who imports them from Medellin directly i guess…
max is undeniably a good racers, but he is hot headed, plays win at all costs or nothing game, which for some are entertaining, but makes zero wdc content which is a long game, not a hit or miss… you can be aggressive but, he is majority of the time over the top… he hits someone, regardless of outcome, he blames the other side every single time…
Blazzz (@blazzz)
31st October 2019, 21:00
@w0o0dy
When Max starts outscoring Albon we can revisit this debate again.
@mysticus +1. Well said sir.
Patrick (@anunaki)
31st October 2019, 19:13
Just give him the same car and let’s see
But that hasn’t been the case and probably will not ever be.
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 19:19
Yes…I’m up for THAT! What a ding dong that what be. Again though, I don’t think Max, as the driver he is now, could beat Lewis over the course of a season. Lewis is just relentless in his point scoring.
Big Joe
31st October 2019, 20:56
@deanr
I’m glad you said ‘point scoring’. The again you don’t really need to be all that relentless in this quality of car and extraordinary teamwork.
Luck has always played its part in many of Lewis’s races where he’s hung on for points if not wins.
Relentless was Alonso and Senna carrying slower cars on their backs, not just point scoring but podiums and unexpected wins.
Lewis has been beaten more since 2014 in terms of dominance. Verstappen, Riccardo, Rosberg and now Bottas have all taken wins off Lewis damaging some of his percentage stats. Even Vettel chipped in the first few years at Ferrari. Lewis’s totals of course look great but sports are increasingly being measured with percentage of wins.
regards to Max beating Lewis in addition to the times he already has. In equal cars maybe 50/50, maybe 60/40 in Lewis’s favour due to experience. However in the 2014 Mercedes there’s no reason why Max couldn’t scamper off into the distance. His poles are equally impressive as any of Lewis’s so far. Lapping 2 seconds faster than the leaders on Sunday, every bit as good recovery drive as Lewis’s too.
DMC
31st October 2019, 22:32
Spot on!
Stuart Frasier
1st November 2019, 1:24
This is a bizarre comment. Hamilton has won 33.60% of races he’s entered. That nearly Clark territory (34.72%). The only multiple winners with higher percentages are Ascari (40.63%) and Fangio (a scarcely believable 47.06%). In terms of winning percentages, he’s ahead of Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Stewart, and every current driver. In the hybrid era, he has won 51.69% of the races.
Martin
1st November 2019, 2:58
Max has 1 pole, singular.
DeanR (@deanr)
1st November 2019, 6:43
Yes…the faster Lewis drives the luckier he gets. Go figure. The test of your post isn’t worth responding to. Complete nonsense but I would expect nothing less of you.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
1st November 2019, 9:48
@bigjoe
Think you are confusing Max with Daniel Ricciardo. Max has a single pole position.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:35
@blazz @martin
I was also impressed with Schumacher’s pole lap at Monaco in the Mercedes if that helps
Max produced two stunning pole laps this season.
Love the way @f1osaurus is trying to claim Red Bull were anywhere near a dominant car on Sunday. Same old propaganda.
Yet Bottas has dented LH’s wins % for this season.
F1oSaurus (@)
31st October 2019, 20:33
@anunaki Max had the best car in Mexico and Hamilton won.
Big Joe
31st October 2019, 21:01
@f1osaurus
On Saturday Max’s pole was as good if not better than any of Lewis’s. You need to be worried. Max with experience will be untouchable.
The Red Bull was more equal to Merc and Ferrari than they have ever been but nowhere near enough to give Albon the boost many second drivers have benefitted from in the past.
Come to think of it, like Bottas did on Sunday. Let’s not mention Bottas though. 3rd place explodes the myth that Merc are slow.
Martin
1st November 2019, 2:59
You mean his time. Leclerc got pole due to Max being an idiot.
DeanR (@deanr)
1st November 2019, 6:45
Lewis will be LONG retired by the time Max mature and gains the experience he needs. When max is past a binary art No of poles we can maybe start a discussion. Until then you’re just making yourself look daft.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:51
@deanr
Me daft? MV ‘immature’?
I take it you’ve missed LH’s instagram posts over the years and recently pretending to be a younger version of that Swedish girl who wants to run the world.
The stuff he willingly says on social media is far worse and teenager like than MV’s replies to probing media questions. Hard to believe he’s 34.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 19:51
@bigjoe Keep dreaming.
Also, and again, Verstappen had the fastest car in Mexico and several other races. Verstappen clearly demonstrated that even in the fastest car he only wins in half the cases.
While Hamilton won 10 races while getting pole position only 4 times this season. So Hamilton clearly does not need the fastest car to win.
That’s the problem with Verstappen’s attitude. He goes for the “110% commitment”. Maximum attack. Maximum risk. Which results in a great race once in a blue moon. Then his fans claim that … “if only “… Verstappen would be that good all the time. That is simply wrong. He will never be any better if he keeps taking too much risks.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:42
@f1osaurus
Albon has been finishing roughly where the Red Bull should be on race pace. They’ve had the 5th and 6th best cars on race day all season. Mercedes didn’t even let the Ferraris have it easy at Spa or Monza. The Merc even being described as ‘fastest car on race pace at Monza’ and still didn’t win.
Funny when Lewis had the best car ever seen in F1, it was still always his skill that won him races but not his fault when his team mates beat and out qualified him, which they’ve done more of since his peak in 2014. .
Also, very little was said about 1 race wonder on Sunday who finished 3rd in the apparent slower car of the top 3.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 21:50
@bigjoe OMG, just stop embarrassing yourself. Please!
Patrick (@anunaki)
31st October 2019, 21:02
So? That’s one race. I think it’s safe to say Lewis generally had a better car most of the time since Max joined F1.
I’m not saying to Max will beat Lewis in the same car over a season, but I’d sure like them to go head to head in the same team ones and see what would happen.
Big Joe
31st October 2019, 20:57
@anunaki
Lewis was scared of Riccardo.
Steveetienne
1st November 2019, 8:12
He’s got the same car as Albon but isn’t out scoring him.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:54
LH fan club says Albon had the fastest car. But he finished 6th. So what’s it to be?
Bottas isn’t that good. He was virtually a 1 race wonder before his manager gifted him Merc number 2. Like the manager’s win-less wife was gifted an F1 drive.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:01
@bigjoe A rookie in a car that he has barely driven in before, designed specifically for his team mate, with a strategy that was an utter mess and he finished 5th. Verstappen was a minute behind him!
If Red Bull hadn’t messed up Albon’s strategy he would have been ahead of the Mercedes, but yeah that doesn’t matter. At least he beat his team mate again though.
Bottas actually is really good. It’s just that Hamilton is faster, much more consistent and much better at adapting his driving to conditions and strategy.
Carlos Medrano (@carlosmedrano)
31st October 2019, 18:53
I love how lewis was talking about how great max was, he got caught up in the hype like everyone else. But once he saw up close how bad max is at wheel to wheel he knew right away it was all hype
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 19:19
Touche
Search
31st October 2019, 19:26
Carlos, your anti-Max sentiments are becoming a bit boring…
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 11:00
@carlosmedrano
At least MV has put himself in those positions from since he entered. Getting alongside the so called ‘greats’ on track and giving them the finger. Even if it meant ending badly because he’s not been in a realistic WC position.
LH started to choke in first 2. Also it’s November and still hasn’t wrapped up the title most already awarded him after the first few races. What happened to the LH of 2014?
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
31st October 2019, 19:01
Well, if Max wants to talk about respect, shall we begin with the concept of yellow flags and why they’re used and why it’s important to adhere to them…?
Patrick (@anunaki)
31st October 2019, 19:15
You know other drivers including Lewis make and have made mistakes in the past. No need to keep getting back at them
John H (@john-h)
31st October 2019, 21:08
It’s not the act per se, it’s the lack of contrition and remorse that’s the problem here.
Gabriel (@rethla)
31st October 2019, 21:16
@john-h
The lack of a false PR statement is a problem?
John H (@john-h)
1st November 2019, 18:38
No, it’s the lack of remorse for ignoring yellow flags on purpose. Nothing to do with PR.
John H (@john-h)
1st November 2019, 18:38
@rethla
Gabriel (@rethla)
1st November 2019, 20:39
@john-h
Then i dont see a difference.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:03
@anunaki So because another driver once made an mistake, we can never say anything about the litany of mistakes Verstappen makes in a single race / race weekend?
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 11:03
@tommy-c
To be fair when they’re still putting cranes and diggers on the track when the cars are still moving or using barriers that throw the energy back out on track risking MV’s life as well as others.
His penalty might seem a bit lame to him.
RedEaredRabbit (@redearedrabbit)
31st October 2019, 19:05
I was a bit confused with Lewis’s comments to be honest. Seb pushing Lewis onto the grass at the start, looked much worse (and much more worthy of a complaint) than the coming together with Max.
It was very tight through the first corner and yes, Lewis left as much room as possible but if you go two abreast into a very tight first corner on the first lap, a “racing incident” is not unlikely. Max had some understeer, they touched. Lewis wasn’t “torpedoed” at all.
First lap racing incident. Move on.
(And if you really want to pick a fight, maybe look at what Seb did to you!)
Patrick (@anunaki)
31st October 2019, 19:16
Also Vettel commenting on Max is laughable if you look at his own incidents.
DeanR (@deanr)
31st October 2019, 19:25
I think there was a bit of WDC bravado going on between Lewis and VET. “We have won championships and this young pretender has a lot to learn” type of thing. It WAS a racing incident but it seems Max is always involved in racing incidents. This is why he will not win championships driving the way he currently does. He’s young enough to mature and correct that though.
Krzystof (@krzysztof)
31st October 2019, 23:01
Good post.
F1oSaurus (@)
31st October 2019, 20:37
@redearedrabbit I guess the point is that they all know Verstappen is going to dive deep into the corner. He did it to Lewis and he did it to Bottas. In this race in both cases it cost Verstappen dearly actually, but still.
It’s that “torpedo” style of barging through the corner banging into and then blocking the other driver that Hamilton is referring to.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:43
@f1osaurus
If 2021 turns out like many people hope, we’ll see LH eventually being responsible for knocking others off the track
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 19:44
@bigjoe Not sure what you are trying to insinuate, but apart from 2011, Hamilton is actually one of the few drivers who hardly ever causes an incident.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:47
@f1osaurus
LH will have to do more overtaking on corners and he says ‘he’s up for the fight’, but his problem will be, so will everyone else. They just don’t talk about it.
Read the rules and what it wants to create. An even chance for the likes of Norris and Albon to attack and defend any other car. Those two have showed they’re not afraid.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 21:48
@bigjoe Again, Hamilton is a great overtaker really. Without running into other cars.
The rest of your rant makes even less sense. Do you seriously believe that driver will just randomly start attacking each other?
dan
31st October 2019, 19:17
Oh well Max should have kept quiet when saying Lewis has not been challenged, when his teammates put you’re teammates to shame. Hamilton has had by far the best teammates of any top driver.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:40
DR was classed by most pundits and the majority of fans even on LH fans sites such as this, ‘as the best overtaker in the sport’
You’re kidding surely?
None of them were standout before joining Mercedes. The only team mate LH had other than Alonso who was fast and reliable was Button.
Massa and Raikkonen were much better than Rosberg and Bottas. Massa and Raikkonen had also beaten Lewis fair and square.
FA dominated them both despite Ferrari letting Massa take valuable points off him in 2010.
Classic LH defence club, bigging up his team mates who beat him too much for comfort.
Martin
1st November 2019, 15:40
Couldn’t have been much better than Bottas and Rosberg then really could they? Classic LH slater club. Minimize his team mates so that he looks worse.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:50
Seriously martin. If we’re not allowed to reply to the following deluded comment, what’s the point? You want the forum all to yourself? Maybe suggest to Keith we cant post replies or quote people if you cant handle it.
Lewis isn’t perfect. He’s nowhere near the GOAT as regularly peddled here. His dominance has deteriorated since 2014.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:08
@bigjoe Hamilton as a rookie was already faster/better than Alonso. Alonso was heaps better than Raikkonen and Massa. Vettel was on par with Raikkonen.
Raikkonen did finish two races less, but Vettel scored just as much (or as few) points per finished race in 2018 as Raikkonen did. Even though Raikkonen constantly had his strategy crippled to help Vettel.
Bottas would destroy Vettel just as much as Ricciardo did. Rosberg destroyed Schumacher 3 seasons in a row.
Esteban (@esteban)
31st October 2019, 19:37
Respect is earned.
GtisBetter (@)
31st October 2019, 20:19
I don’t know if people have been watching F1, but there is a great deal of respect between Verstappen, Hamilton and Vettel and these things are always blown out of proportion and milked out at press conferences. But Max is the most aggresive of the three, cause he can afford is. Leclerc has joined him as an aggresive driver with who can afford it this year. Many people have forgot how smart he drove in the first part of this season, until it was clear that this was another somewhat wasted year.
T
31st October 2019, 21:08
These guys understand that Max is the show now. People tune in to watch him exclusively because he is exciting to watch. He’s easily the best now so it’s a bit of sour grapes from his peers as well as the UK audience, I think. I’d rather watch him go for small percentage moves than watch the other’s simpering procession. Lewis is one of the best ever no doubt but he’s become so measured that it’s been pretty boring watching him the last few years.
AM
31st October 2019, 23:30
“He’s easily the best now so it’s a bit of sour grapes from his peers as well as the UK audience, I think2
He’s too impatient, crashes too often, is reckless & is being outscored by his rookie teammate—-he’s not the best. Hamilton & Leclerc are both better
T
1st November 2019, 0:08
LH is probably still better overall. More well rounded for sure but not as fast or aggressive as he used to be. CH is fine..need to see more though. He’s crashed a bit also and has shown to have a hot head, Monaco for example . Be honest, as soon as Max is out of contention the race becomes stale. Max is drawing massive crowds and attention bc of his style and speed and it makes F1 interesting again. Why do you think that is? Bc he’s just another PM?? If he was a Brit this fan-base would be losing it’s collective mind in adoration.
DeanR (@deanr)
1st November 2019, 6:50
He is drawing the DUTCH crowds. They would support him regardless of driving style. Max has an exciting style of driving. It won’t win him a damn thing though. He has to understand that before he can even consider a shot at the WDC.
DeanR (@deanr)
1st November 2019, 6:52
If the Lewis adoration bothers you why not check out a site that supports your theory instead? A Dutch site maybe?
T
1st November 2019, 7:02
Doesn’t bother me..I expect it here. Why are people afraid of a differing opinion?
T
1st November 2019, 7:08
Just the Dutch? Why does my American teenager always ask about him then? Weird.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 11:07
@deanr
MV would have driven off into the distance in the 2014 and 2015 Merc. His issues would never have come into it.
As it happens, his wins since 2014 have helped reduce LH’s % wins pers season.
LH’s greatest years were 2007 and 2014.
DeanR (@deanr)
1st November 2019, 11:12
You’re great with ifs and buts Jo. The rest of us, meanwhile, live in the real world. Enjoy the GP at the weekend 😀 All that Lewis adoration coming is really gonna bite. Ta ta for now sweetheart.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:26
@bigjoe Hamilton’s best season by far was 2018.
Ferrari was faster in 14 races: Bahrain, China, Baku, Monaco, Canada, Austria (seeing how no merc finished there), Silverstone, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, USA, Mexico.
Mercedes was fastest in 5: Australia, Spain, Russia, Abu Dhabi and Brazil
They were equal in the remaining 2 races: France, Japan
Indeed Hamilton won almost all races where Mercedes was faster or equal to Ferrari. So yeah he’s great when he has the best car.
More importantly though, he beat Vettel over and over while Hamilton was driving a slower car and even won races like Baku, Germany, Hungary, Monza and Singapore. That’s more races than Vettel won while Vettel had the fastest car. He only won Bahrain, Canada, Silverstone and Spa.
motorsport-total showed that Vettel should have won that WDC with over 50 points margin. Instead Vettel got annihilated by Hamilton with Hamilton getting a 88 point lead over Vettel.
It’s that relentless driver for perfection that sets Hamilton so far above the likes of Vettel. Hamilton just keeps on maximizing the results. Even in a slower car. He keeps applying the pressure to crack his opponents.
While Vettel (and Verstappen and Leclerc) keep on throwing wins and points away.
Even when Vettel or Verstappen drive the fastest car, in about half the race, they mess up royally. Like Verstappen in Mexico, but Verstappen also does it over and over in Monaco. Vettel blunders everywhere really.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:53
@passingisoverrated
There always was between LH and FA as well.
Seriously, torrent the races from 2007 and watch how they hug each other after every race. Makes you wonder why LH fans went to war against Alonso. Alonso left and drove superbly at slower teams. They always praised each other from then on. Maybe that’s what LH fans didn’t really like.
bob (@riptide)
31st October 2019, 20:45
Got to love Max, he has spent the whole of the second half of the season dissing Seb and Lewis without any prompting; probably because he has become irrelevant to whats happening at the front of the grid lately, yet when they are both asked a specific question about Max he says he is in their heads because they answered it. I used to assume he was belligerent; but lately he comes across dumber than a box of rocks.
Patrick (@anunaki)
31st October 2019, 21:04
Where was Max dissing them? He’s usually full of respect about them.
bob (@riptide)
31st October 2019, 21:25
Just one for now-how about all through Aug and Sept on the poor quality of Hams teammates. I assume Max thinks Jenson, Bottas, Alonso and Rosberg are not of the highest calibre compared to the Gaslys of this world? And if you want more just put Max Ham in the search engine.
As a start try when he first entered the sport. He was criticising Ham then in the pressers and saying he prefers to do his talking on the track. Five years later he is still whinging about Ham in the press conferences and saying he prefers to do his talking on the track. Well when it comes to ‘talking’ to Hamilton, he seems strangely silent when he is out on the track.
Patrick (@anunaki)
1st November 2019, 7:30
So if Max sais Lewis is very good but he has a relative easy job being in the most dominant F1 car ever against weaker teammates, is that disrespectful to Lewis? How?
That’s just stating the facts
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:31
@riptide @anunaki
2007 was LH’s best result against a team mate (FA still hasn’t been outscored by a team mate).
MV will appreciate that feat as much as anyone.
Since 2014 MV has been partly responsible for LH’s season % win rate dropping, still in the most dominant cars the sport has seen.
The rest was down to Rosberg and Bottas who I strongly disagree, before Mercedes did not look “the highest calibre”
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 17:36
lol Verstappen won just seven races man. As much as Daniel and half as many as Vettel. Yet you don’t even mention Vettel on your “statistic”.
It’s the Alonsomania all over again.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 20:59
@Edvaldo
Yes
I mentioned Vettel in another similar post. After Lewis’s dominant 2014, yes Vettel then started winning again at Ferrari with some impressive looking victories also damaging LH’s season win rate
Not sure what the Alonso comment is for. Although I agree with other posters he would have won the title for ferrari twice by now had he stayed. He was more relentless over a season than either LH or SV.
Most people agreed at the beginning of the season LH would win the title this year after Ferrari looked like their usual selves. But November? It’s almost Like it’s being staged to keep the viewers.
Edvaldo
2nd November 2019, 17:41
So you’re saying that the fact that he wins the championship in november with races to spare tells more about his performance than the fact that everybody already knows he is going to win since 5 months ago, being it a merely mathematical matter, or ‘when’ ?
You definitely has a problem with Hamilton and can’t even hide it anymore.
As for the Alonso comment, it doesn’t have to do with him, but when he came into the scene his fans were exactly like you and other Max’s fans are being today.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
31st October 2019, 21:02
Hamilton strolling to his 6th championship. On the contrary, Max being outscored by Albon.
Yup Max is definitely in Lewis’ head.
MEGATRON M12 (@megatron)
31st October 2019, 22:47
Straight fooking facts
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 10:24
@blazzz
Strolling? You realize it’s November?
since 2014 his win % per season has dropped
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 13:50
oh yes, he must be having a hard time to sleep because his win % per season has dropped yet he is winning at least 9 races per season for 6 seasons in a row.
Poor guy. He is getting slower.
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 21:03
Edvaldo
He must be when you consider everyone is rubbishing MV.
And Bottas was a 1 race wonder at Williams.
That’s the weird thing about LH fan club. Everyone who beats him gets put down. But you can’t have it both ways.
Just learn to cope that 2014 was Lewis’s last dominant season. It’s November for heavens sake, Mercedes have been the best team by a mile and always had excellent race pace.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:29
@bigjoe 2014 was Mercedes last dominant season you mean. I’d say 2015 also, but agreed it was less.
Since 2017 Ferrari has been on par. At least the car was, but they don’t have a driver capable enough to mount a serious WDC challenge.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
2nd November 2019, 10:30
@bigjoe
And you realise for the past 3 seasons Hamilton has secured the WDC with races to spare? So yes strolling is quite accurate unless of course you just have a problem with Hamilton’s success, which you obviously do.
Yes I am sure Hamilton will be losing sleep over this. Lol.
You need help.
David BR (@david-br)
1st November 2019, 0:58
I think Lewis’s comment wasn’t actually meant as that much of a dig or a criticism. He said he loved the start of the race, which by implication means he liked the fact Max made the first corner difficult. I think it’s just part of Hamilton relishing the possibility of the ‘hard racing’ Leclerc and Verstappen have been engaging in, and that the FIA stewards have decided to allow, and of course loving the fact he came out on top in this particular case. Great. However Vettel’s pushing of Hamilton onto the grass and this being allowed worries me.
cageman
1st November 2019, 7:49
People here seem to forget the massive differences in the cars, and the effect this has on the driving style.
It’s easy to make a clean overtake in a far better car. Max always has to drive on the limit of the Red Bull to overtake a Ferrari or Merdedes. If there’s an opportunity he has to grab that immediately. And then you have to make sure the move sticks and leave the other driver no place to go. So yes, he has to take more risk.
All F1 drivers have won championships in other categories , it’s not dificult for them to perform a whole season and they are capable for a WDC fight. But the WDC is about 90% dependent of the material you’ve got. You can only compare drivers to their teammates, and only when they’re both driving without strange circumstances like grid penalties. And then Hamilton performs good in the races (-0,1 sec per lap), Vettel and Leclerc are equal an Max was far better then ricciardo (-0,3 sec per lap average) and years ahead of Albon (-0,6 sec per lap). The only way to stop this discussion is to put Lewis and Max in the same car, but Lewis will block that. Despite all his talking about equal opportunities…’this is James’
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 16:30
Excuses, just excuses.
Mate, he was the fastest driver of the weekend. He screwed everything by being dumb on qualy. It doesn’t have to do with other drivers. Or are you going to put the blame on Bottas for crashing?
Joseph (@bigjoe)
1st November 2019, 21:04
+1
Lewis veteod DR. LH is a known liar.
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:31
Ricciardo won just as many races as Verstappen did and had twice as many poles.
Ricciardo only ended up slower than Verstappen after he announced he would be leaving the team. He barely finished a race from that moment on too.
The Dolphins
1st November 2019, 9:58
I thought Max prefer to fight at the weight bridge…
iCarbs (@icarby)
1st November 2019, 11:30
I still don’t understand why Hamilton doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
Max achieved pole position, but Max being Max gets a grid penalty.
Max starts along side Hamilton, who is almost run off the road, but ends up tangling with him on the first lap for no good reason, where his team mate, starting further back, overttakes both of them.
After that Max then tangles with Bottas, I originally stated was a nice move, but it included a large amount of risking contact, for him to get a puncture.
Where as Hamilton keeps pace with the front runners and executes the Merc strategy without the unnecessary complications.
Albon strategy wasn’t as good and ultimately finished where he did.
I feel sorry for Red bull, they could be hedging their bets on someone who could consistently make errors in judgement unless they can give him a season long dominant car like the Merchant of 2014.
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 13:57
Verstappen looked dumb from saturday onwards at Mexico. But he is not mature enough to admit or to stay quiet about it.
Yet you can wait a few weeks and he’ll be saying that he is better than Hamilton.
I’m not saying they should be best pals, but Verstappen only comes as cocky and silly with his remarks, as if he doesn’t need to learn anything from anyone.
Patrick (@anunaki)
1st November 2019, 14:31
Max is simply answering questions. Like the other drivers do.
And he probably doesn’t care that people think he looks cocky or silly. Like Lewis probably doesn’t care he looks fake to a lot of people.
Edvaldo
1st November 2019, 15:44
He doesn’t need to care. But if he acts immature out of the car, you can’t expect him to be mature while in it.
He acts like he doing fine, on way to success, but that’s not completely true. And when you realize he’s there for five years and just learnt how the yellow flag works (before the penalty he said they could delete his fastest time set under flags, it wouldn’t matter because his other lap was legal, a complete airhead).
F1oSaurus (@)
1st November 2019, 22:35
Edvaldo
I think ultimately that is Verstappen’s underlying problem. Hamilton is always trying to better himself. Always looking to find even more of an edge over the rest of the field. While Verstappen feels entitled to the win because he’s already the greatest.