Verstappen in battle with Hamilton: 'Maybe to do with generation'

Confrontation between Hamilton and Verstappen backfired immediately

In 2021 finally came the showdown F1 fans had been looking forward to for years. Red Bull Racing had put the Dutchman in a competitive car and Mercedes was also at the forefront as always. Hamilton faced stiff opposition from Verstappen in the title fight and in an ultimate final race, the two drivers fought it out for the 2021 F1 title. A fierce rivalry had been established that was already extinguished in 2022. Mercedes and Red Bull were of a different calibre that year.

By the end of the year, Mercedes had fought back somewhat and in Brazil the team was so competitive that it won the race with George Russell. As Mercedes' W13 was fast in Sao Paulo, Verstappen and Hamilton also met again on track. After the restart of the race after a safety car, things immediately went wrong again between the two 2021 rivals. Speaking to Autosport.com Verstappen guesses as to why he and Hamilton often cannot keep it tidy.

Verstappen considers generation gap with Hamilton

Verstappen says he has managed to keep all the fierce battles this year with everyone just right: "But with Lewis it's a different story and I don't know why." Verstappen brings up the incident in the Senna-S in Brazil and balks at being blamed. According to the Dutchman, it was just a racing incident. While guessing, the Red Bull driver says it might be a generational thing between him and Hamilton. Verstappen guesses that he and his generational peers understand each other better on track.

Verstappen defends himself and says he races the same against Hamilton as he does against all other drivers. The day before the Brazil race, during the sprint race in Sao Paulo, Verstappen said he did the same against Hamilton's teammate. The fight with George Russell did end well then. Verstappen says he always respects Hamilton: "But that is also why I cannot understand why we cannot race like I've been doing with the others."