F1 News

Verstappen on Hamilton: He never really had big pressure from his teammates

Verstappen on Hamilton: "He never really had big pressure from his teammates"

10-08-2019 10:03
9
Author profile picture

Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen has suggested that his rival Lewis Hamilton has never had "great pressure from a teammate over the years" as the Dutchman evaluated the five-time champion.

Verstappen and Hamilton produced another classic battle in Hungary, with the duo jousting for the entire 70 laps of the race before Hamilton finally landed an overtake with four laps to go. At that point, the two were a full minute ahead of the competition, underlining just how much in a league of their own they are right now.

However, when judging Hamilton, Verstappen suggested he's never been properly challenged by a teammate, at least not in recent years.

"It's car-dependent," the 21-year-old said in an interview with Motor Sport Magazine.

"I don't think he's had the pressure of a teammate over the years."

In his years at Mercedes, Hamilton has had Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas as teammates, with the former beating Hamilton to the championship once in 2016, after which he immediately retired. However, Verstappen thinks that title should've been won by Hamilton as well.

"He should really have won it in 2016 as well if it wasn't for the engine failure... but after the summer break there were a few poor starts and stuff where he lost first place.

"But he never really had big pressure from his teammates."

With Fernando Alonso in his rookie year, Jenson Button and the aforementioned Rosberg, Hamilton has had his fair share of good teammates. Do you agree with Verstappen here (who seems to be talking more about the Mercedes years), or do you think the Dutchman is being harsh on Rosberg and Bottas?