On being asked about his duels with Leclerc being less aggressive by La Gazetta dello Sport, Verstappen said:

Although his duels with Leclerc have been enjoyable, they have not been as aggressive as his duels with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. On being asked why the aggression was lesser, the Dutchman replied by saying dueling different drivers required different approaches but battling rivals he had raced with from his karting days felt more natural.

Having raced the Monagasque driver before in his karting years has, however, resulted in a superfluous duel between the two, according to the 2021 champion. The Ferrari driver has also hailed the duels and described them as hard but fair racing.

Commenting further on his Ferrari rival, the Dutchman said:

Max Verstappen believes toxic team rivalry led to aggressive battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 campaign has been hailed as one of the most significant in the history of the sport. While it started on a somber note, it soon meandered into a sour rivalry both on and off the track. Explaining the complex rivalry, the Red Bull driver revealed that the toxic conflict between the teams played a vital role and translated into aggressive duels on the track between the drivers.

Commenting on the aggressive battles with the Mercedes champion, Verstappen said:

The rivalry between the duo had mutual respect until the clash at Silverstone where the Briton punted the Dutchman into the barriers, causing a 54G impact. After the crash, the gloves went off between both drivers and teams, which led to toxic politics, aggressive battles, and clashes on-track.

Max Verstappen further narrated his journey through the 2021 season’s battles saying:

Without having to battle each other in 2022, the Briton and Dutchman have had healthy banter during press conferences and even in the paddock. While one has to defend his title, the other has been struggling with performance woes. Unfortunately, due to Max Verstappen’s two DNF’s, the Lewis Hamilton leads the Dutchman by three points in the driver’s standings.

0 votes