Max Verstappen responds to Lewis Hamilton claim

Max Verstappen has responded to Lewis Hamilton by insisting he has no problem with the Mercedes star. The Dutchman won his maiden F1 championship in 2021 following a tussle with Hamilton, before storming to his second title last year.

Verstappen’s rivalry with Hamilton intensified two years ago, with the duo going into the final Grand Prix of the 2021 season level pegging. The Briton appeared to be heading for a record eighth championship after leading for much of the race in Abu Dhabi. But following a halt for a late Safety Car, Verstappen got the better of his nemesis in a one-lap shootout to get his hands on the silverware.

The pair were kept apart last season, with Verstappen tasting glory after winning a record 15 races while Hamilton failed to win any after Mercedes suffered porpoising issues with their car. But the drivers are still the two biggest stars on the grid and could come to blows once again when the new season gets underway in the spring.

Hamilton was recently asked about his relationship with Verstappen and explained: “I respect him. Maybe he has a problem with me. But I am not sure about that and I actually assume not.”

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Meanwhile, the trials and tribulations of last season are set to be screened on Netflix’s Drive to Survive documentary at the end of February. And Verstappen is set to take part in the series for the first time in four years after speaking to the producers of the hit show about the way he has been portrayed in the past.

“I always wanted to be part of it but I always said that it needs to be realistic, and a realistic image of how I am,” Verstappen said. “We had to talk about it first and they understood my side of it, and of course I understand that in general when you create a show or whatever that there needs to be drama, it needs to be exciting. I’m a guy who finds it very important that you’re portrayed well and they don’t start to cut and copy different comments from other footage when it didn’t happen like that.”

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