Verstappen was "more aggressive" with Hamilton according to Chandhok

Max Verstappen is fighting for the World Championship again in the 2022 Formula 1 season, but this time with a different rival. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari and seemingly his main competition for the title, and there is a strong suggestion that the Dutchman is using a different driving style compared to his battles with Lewis Hamilton last season. 

Old v new generation 

Across the 2021 F1 season, Hamilton and Verstappen exchanged hard battles right from the start of the season. In Silverstone and Monza, the battles ended in crashes with at least one retirement but there were other occasions earlier in the season when the two drivers nearly came together. 

After the first two races in 2022, Leclerc and Verstappen have battled for the race win in both. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes Verstappen is giving Leclerc more room compared to Hamilton and explains why he thinks this is the case. 

"The way he was more aggressive with Lewis last year, I watched the first two races and they were going ding dong. As if he was trying to establish himself with Lewis. Whereas with Charles they are peers. I think there was an element of him knowing Lewis was the benchmark, Lewis has been the best driver of his generation now. For Max, it was a chance to establish himself as a World Champion and the number one," Chandhok said on Sky Sports. 

Rather than a cross-generation battle, Verstappen is now engaged in a duel with someone from the same generation. "With Charles, he sees him as a peer, a bit more of someone he has grown up with and is equal. They know each other," Chandhok added.