It has now been nearly a year since the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP finale, but between Max Verstappen And Lewis Hamilton it was only a matter of time before the fire of the rivalry on the track and thedislike out. That the two champions do not like each other is now more than evident and this season has proved it, in which Verstappen fought for the title and victories against other opponents without however ever raising the level of the clash – inside and outside the circuits – to the levels experienced last year against the seven-time world champion.
On the other hand it is difficult to reduce their duel to a mere generational confrontation, given that the relationship between Hamilton and other ‘new generation’ drivers – from Russell to Norris, via Leclerc – is decidedly different from what the Englishman has with the current world champion. In Interlagos, last Sunday, the two rivals collided again – literally – on the track, as had happened on several occasions during their 2021 world championship duel.
At the restart following the entry of the first Safety Car, Verstappen forced an attack on Hamilton, which took him wide of the S of Senna. However, the orange, instead of lifting his foot, continued to stay alongside the Mercedes #44 as he traveled the ‘S’. Inevitably there was a collision. Verstappen himself suffered the worst: the Red Bull driver suffered the most damage to his car and was also penalized by five seconds in the race.
In the press conference following the podium, Hamilton was asked for his opinion on the tendency to increase the aggressiveness on the track that the #1 seems to have whenever he is in battle with him. Hamilton’s response was scathing: “Am I concerned about security? No, I’m not worried. I think it’s natural, when you have success and numbers on your chest, to become a bit of a target. But that’s okay. It’s nothing he hasn’t dealt with before“. The impression therefore is that the Englishman judges Verstappen to be somehow ‘envious’ of his success and of his records and that this – in Hamilton’s reasoning – leads him to duel with him in a different way than what happens with the others riders on the grid.
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