‘Hamilton is a great racer, but off the track he has become boring'

Speaking to the Dutch RTL GP Magazine, Giedo van der Garde compared Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both on and off track. While he admits Hamilton is unrivalled on the track, van der Garde is unhappy with the Briton's presence off-track.

According to van der Garde, who has driven in Formula One himself, Hamilton has lost his glittering presence off the track, becoming dull instead. ‘He has really changed as a person. Sometimes Lewis would do something crazy, but not for a long time. It's fine what he does on the track, but he's become a bit of a boring guy.’

This is where van der Garde sees the difference with Max Verstappen, as he explains: 'Verstappen doesn't change. He's still a normal guy, you can always laugh with him.’

However, van der Garde also admits that Hamilton is still one of the best drivers around. The Dutchman even experienced this personally when they were both still climbing up to the premier class. 'He was already a powerhouse at the time, smashing everyone to bits', van der Garde said. 'It was so special what he did, he just kept on performing. It was the only thing he did: the faster the car got, the faster he could go with it.'