“I just enjoyed the battle we had overall,” Max Verstappen admits that he relished the battle with Lewis Hamilton last year

“I just enjoyed the battle we had overall,” Max Verstappen admits that he relished the battle with Lewis Hamilton last year

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s tussle throughout the year gave us one of the best seasons of F1 in recent times. The battle was so intense and fierce that we headed into the final race on equal points, and the winner wasn’t known until the final lap in Abu Dhabi.

Both the drivers used their strengths on the track to the best of their abilities. The Dutchman admits to having been under pressure but also thoroughly enjoying the competition despite having a moment of relief. Speaking of the year-long battle with Lewis Hamilton, the reigning champion, as quoted by racingnews365.com, said, “From my side, I just enjoyed the battle we had overall. It was a lot of pressure on you to try to be perfect, which is very hard every single weekend, to try and be perfect, but I really enjoyed it.”

He added, “Not only the battle but just… you went to every single race weekend and you knew that you had to be on it. You could not make a mistake because, if you made a tiny mistake, they would be ahead. If they made a mistake, we would be ahead.”

FS Video

How are Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fighting it out this season?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the end of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the end of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The 2021 season rivalry between both the drivers made all of the fans realize that the level of the fight observed would be hard to match in the upcoming season. And, so it proved to be true.

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W13, which was fast in the first round of pre-season testing couldn’t stand out in the subsequent testing and races. The driver’s pace has fallen, and he finds himself in the midfield, while Max seems to have found a new driver to battle with, Charles Leclerc.

We are yet to see any battle between Lewis and Max, and it’s unlikely to happen in the coming races unless Mercedes improves their W13 significantly, which we all hope they do. As the season progresses, we can only hope Lewis joins the battle of Max and Charles on the top, thus making it a three-way fight for the championship.

ALSO READ: “They are a photocopy of each other,” Jean Alesi believes Max Verstappen is smarter than Charles Leclerc in reading races despite multiple similarities