Lewis Hamilton indirectly claims Max Verstappen has not yet raced with a formidable teammate

Lewi Hamilton is impressed with Red Bull's overall performance as a team.

Lewis Hamilton indirectly claims Max Verstappen has not yet raced with a formidable teammate

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Credits: IMAGO)

Max Verstappen has been bathing in glory for the past few seasons. At 25, the Dutchman already has two world championships and is well on course for third. However, the lack of competition for the Dutch has been a point of argument for many regarding his achievements. Recently, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton brought this up in an interview with Sky Italy.

Sergio Perez has been struggling to keep up with his teammate. With a 138-point gap in the WDC standings and just two victories this season, Perez is too far from Verstappen to be called a competition. Verstappen’s past teammates, which include the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly also failed to keep up with him.

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Lewis Hamilton claimed that he outperformed teammates like Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg and was severely overlooked at the time. He said that Verstappen has been given way too much credit for outperforming a teammate like Perez, while he claimed that his past and present teammates, which consist of names like Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, have all been tough.

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“You know when I qualified half a second, six-tenths ahead of Valtteri, they didn’t say the same thing as they say today when Max qualifies six-tenths ahead of Perez… Valtteri, and actually all my team-mates, have been stronger than the team-mates that Max has had. These guys have all been very consistent, and Max has not raced against anyone like that,” Hamilton told Sky Italy.

Discover more: Max Verstappen insists he will not stay in F1 as long as Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso

Lewis Hamilton is impressed with Red Bull’s overall performance as a team

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (Credits: Motorsport Week)

Whilst many would credit Red Bull’s current domination to Max Verstappen, there is no doubt that the team has been functioning flawlessly this season to support Verstappen in getting solid results. Red Bull have been dishing out the fastest pitstops this season and have developed the most pacey and reliable car on the circuit. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton recently praised Red Bull for this feat.

Hamilton appreciated the team’s performance and consistency this season, as he labeled them one of the strongest on the grid. He claimed that he was no more impressed than he was when drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen dominated.

“I mean I think the team as a whole is one of the strongest – they’re firing on all cylinders right now,” he added. Further, Hamilton also acknowledged that their car, the pit crew, the mechanics, and even the strategies have been on point. The English driver even appreciated Verstappen’s rise to the podium.

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