What Lewis Hamilton's father had to say about Max Verstappen after attending GT race

Verstappen produced a stunning recovery drive from 24th to 9th, after his team, Verstappen Racing, served a drive through penalty, after teammate Chris Lulham collided with #48 Mercedes Luca Stolz. The four-time world champion produced a number of stunning overtakes, with his final pass being on Arthur Leclerc, brother of Formula 1 rival Charles.

Anthony Hamilton met up with both Verstappen and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi at the event, sharing photos alongside the pair on Instagram. And despite his son's fierce rivalry with Verstappen in the past, Anthony posted a complimentary message about Verstappen.

Hamilton Sr wrote: "Great to catch up with my friends Max and Valentino Rossi, talking all things motorsport, life and family. 35 years in motorsport and my first ever GT World event. What a day! 61 cars on the grid. What a sight, what a sound.

Verstappen and Anthony's son, Lewis, famously had a fierce battle for the F1 drivers' championship in 2021, going into the Abu Dhabi finale level on points. A late safety car set up a final-lap shootout, with Verstappen passing Hamilton to win the race and his first world title, although the circumstances surrounding the restart proved controversial.

Max Verstappen meanwhile has hit out at the abuse directed at teammate Chris Lulham, after the latter was involved in a collision, resulting in a penalty which damaged the team's hopes of victory in Portimao.

Lulham served the penalty before handing the car over to Verstappen. The incident sparked criticism of Lulham, including personal abuse directed at the British driver.

Expressing his disappointment at the personal attacks his teammate received following the penalty, he said: "I feel I need to speak up about the hate and harassment Chris has received after the race. Everyone can have their opinions about what happened on track, but these personal attacks are not okay. Chris had a really strong stint and mistakes can happen."