The championship that has just concluded has not turned into a repeat of what was seen in 2021, with a duel that lasted from the first to the last race between Lewis Hamilton And Max Verstappen. This time it was Ferrari, and in particular Charles Leclerc, the main antagonist of the Dutch champion of Red Bull. Verstappen however, after a difficult start to the year, dominated the season, winning his second world title with four races to go before the end of the World Championship. Despite a year spent largely without direct confrontation, however, the bitter rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen has had the opportunity to emerge again this season.
At Interlagos, the race in which Mercedes showed the greatest competitiveness and at the same time the one in which Red Bull struggled the most, the two in fact found themselves fighting for second position in the first laps: immediately we reached a accident. At the ‘S di Senna’ the reigning champion attacked outside, then became inside; Hamilton widened his trajectory, keeping his nose in front and squeezing Verstappen. However, the Dutchman didn’t want to lift his foot and, touching the curb, lost control of his RB18, crashing into his rival’s Mercedes. However, the incident allowed both drivers to continue the race, with the #1 however being penalized with five second penalty.
Hamilton, analyzing the episode and his many clashes on the track with Verstappen, said he had become a sort of “target” for the orange driver, underlining how the champion from Hasselt changed his attitude on the track when he was around his Mercedes. Interviewed by the British channel Channel 4Hamilton has tried to go into detail on this belief of his, emphasizing how there are “certain individuals” who have put him in the crosshairs for the results he has achieved in his career: “It’s simple enough to explain. Just listen to the words certain individuals say about meat the level of opponents, and observe the way these individuals behave on the track when they are around me“.
Hamilton does not name names but, also thinking of other recent episodes, it could be that – in addition to Verstappen – the Englishman refers to Fernando Alonso or, remaining within the Red Bull team, ai top management of the Austrian team. “This – continued the seven-time world champion – proves that more often than not [il loro atteggiamento] it’s a little different than others. I can’t explain exactly why, but some of it has to do with the time I’ve spent in the sport, the experience and the success I’ve had here. I know because when I arrived here the targets were other successful pilots and my goal was to challenge them“.
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