Rivalry and respect
Now two years after the most tense and excited moments of their unforgettable challenge for the 2021 world title, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton they finally seem to have found some sort of balance in their relationship. Of course, friendship is something else, but mutual respect – which has never been lacking at a professional level – now appears more tangible and is also supported by some ‘public’ behavior in front of the cameras.
The latest example arrived Sunday in Austin, La post-race press conference. At that moment it was not yet known about the disqualification that would later deprive Hamilton of the second step of the podium and he and Verstappen were commenting, together with Lando Norris, on the outcome of the American race.
Max’s tribute
Among the first questions from journalists there was obviously one that celebrated the 50 career wins, reached by Verstappen right on the ups and downs of COTA. The Dutchman is now just one win away from Alain Prost and -3 wins from Sebastian Vettel. However, Michael Schumacher and Hamilton himself still remain very far away in the all-time rankings, with 91 and 103 successes respectively.
Verstappen referred precisely to Hamilton’s career, paying homage in his response to the extraordinary sporting parable of his rival, the only driver in history to have exceeded triple digits of successes. “50 career wins? That’s obviously a big number, though those are still rookie numbers compared to Lewis. But for sure it’s a big number, I’m very happy and proud of it. But we’ll try to win a few more.” Verstappen said. The challenge has been launched, but the road to reaching 100 is still very long.
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