Both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have hailed the
tough but fair racing that has so far highlighted their close feud in a highly
competitive Formula One season. The two drivers set off again with the
Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday, Hamilton came upstairs, and after a
wheel-to-wheel fight, the two drivers showed mutual respect and trust for each
other, which is the foundation of their racing relationship.
Hamilton and Verstappen competed hard for the third
consecutive race this season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Hamilton was second behind fellow Mercedes teammate Voltaire Bottas, Verstappen
made a great start after a safety car run, bouncing Hamilton out of the box.
Then, when the Dutch driver made a small mistake, Hamilton later bounced, as he
pushed his opponent forward, stopping his turn for three. Both moves were
tough, elbow-out racing, but both drivers were fair and confessional.
"It's been really good, especially when you race
and you know you can go to the limit," Verstappen said of his close
competition this season. "I guess you can only compete with great
difficulty to compete with each other. It's always really good because you can
see in all three races when we were really close to each other but predicted.
Lewis never felt like: 'Oh, we're crashing,' or something else. I've always
trusted Lewis that we all give each other enough space.
Hamilton has lost the F1 Championship only once in the
last seven seasons and was then beaten by his then Mercedes teammate Nico
Rosberg. Their relationship on the team was quickly strained and they were
affected by the clashes on several tracks and the feeling that there was very
little respect for each other during the racing. However, the world champion
has not felt anything like this with Verstappen so far and he expects his fast
but sporty race to continue even if the fight, as it seems now, is at 23 this
season. Spans the remaining 20 races.
"I'm second to none," he said of
Verstappen’s comments. "I think it's naturally less respectful and I think
both are very, very tough but fair. That's what makes great racing and great
racing drivers and I think we have to keep it clean." Will and will keep
it on the sidelines but I don't think either of us has any plans to get closer
than before.
Hamilton and Mercedes are back, having unexpectedly
successful results in the first three races when the Red Bulls clearly advanced
during the test. Mercedes has two wins for Hamilton, one for Worcestershire,
and they are winning both the drivers 'and builders' championships. Hamilton
beat Verstappen by eight points in the championship.
Mercedes team principal, Total Wolf. Believes the two
will continue to enjoy friendly animosity on the track and that the competitive
environment has only been a positive impetus for the team since the fight with
the Red Bull.
"They are not crossing the line on the track
yet," he said. "But the tide is turning, and hostility may increase,
but Lewis is fully satisfied with the situation." It's a pleasure to work
with the team that got us up to speed because we weren't there and now
[Mercedes] is a fun place.
Wolf was also anxious to point out the extraordinary
level in which his driver - the 36-year-old - is performing in his 15th season
at F1. "Lewis just ran a nonsense race," he said. "It doesn't
make sense to talk about Lewis's extraordinary performances because she's been
quite regular. Now that's her standard and she's the one." Sets this
standard.
Hamilton has won 97 races and has 99 pole positions.
It is trying to win its eighth title this year and in the last season alone it
has won 11 out of 17 races.
However, this season he has faced a lot of challenges
from Versatile with a Regent Red Bull. In the opening race in Bahrain, the pair
sought to take the lead in the last six laps, with Hamilton in front and
Verstappen in charge. The Dutch briefly took the lead but there was drama when
he had to return to the spot when he derailed to move forward. The couple
provided each other with plenty of space to run.
In the second round at Imola, Verstappen attacked
Hamilton through an early turn in the first lap and although Hamilton defended
Verstappen defensively. The pair have just touched but no rules have been
broken and no fines have been imposed, although Hamilton suffered minor damage
when he ran across the barrier. The British driver thought racing was complete
and had no complaints after Verstappen won.
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