Lewis Hamilton could laugh at the duel with Max Verstappen after the Brazilian Grand Prix. According to the Briton, the Dutchman's aggressiveness comes from all the success of the seven-time world champion.
After an eventful title fight in 2021, Verstappen and Hamilton rarely met on the track in 2022, but at Interlagos, they hit it off immediately. On the restart after the safety car, Verstappen dived on the outside of Hamilton in turn one, before the latter slammed the door in turn two. Verstappen received a penalty from the stewards for the incident.
Hamilton sees he is a target
At the press conference after the Grand Prix, Hamilton is asked about the incident and, more importantly, whether Verstappen has a problem with him. So Phil Duncan (the journalist asking the question) observes that Verstappen has been free of incidents all year, but is now directly involved in another crash in a duel with Hamilton.
''I'm not worried about that. I think it is logical that with success and so many numbers (titles) to your name, you become a certain target. That's no big deal. It's nothing new for me,'' Hamilton said.
Verstappen himself, on the contrary, pointed the finger at Hamilton. According to the Dutchman, Hamilton still hasn't been able to put 2021 behind him and the reigning world champion was quick to notice that Lewis had no intention of giving him space in that corner. Friends these two will probably never be again.