'It's nice that at 37 you can still learn how to hit an apex' - Max Verstappen responds to Lewis Hamilton jab
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Published 08/07/2022 at 08:23 GMT
Verstappen has hit back at Hamilton after the Mercedes driver appeared to take a shot at the Dutchman's driving style after the British Grand Prix. The pair collided at Silverstone last year, and having avoided a similiar incident with Charles Leclerc at this year's race, Hamilton suggested that a "very sensible" Leclerc's approach was "different to last year" in a thinly-veiled dig at his rival.
Max Verstappen (right) has hit back at a jab at his driving style from former rival Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Max Verstappen has hit back at Lewis Hamilton after the Mercedes driver directed an apparent jab at the Dutchman after the British Grand Prix.
The two drivers collided at SIlverstone during last year's race in an incident that characterised a hard-fought and - at times - bitter title rivalry.
Each man blamed the other for the opening-lap incident that ended Verstappen's race and forced the Red Bull driver into hospital for precautionary checks.
Hamilton was deemed predominantly, but not fully, at fault for the contact, though Verstappen later said that he felt the punishment was not severe enough.
The British driver avoided a similar incident with Charles Leclerc at this year's British Grand Prix, again going wheel-to-wheel at Copse Corner with another driver but managing to avoid contact.
The 37-year-old praised Leclerc after the race, saying that the Ferrari driver had done a "great job" and was "very sensible".
Then, in a dig at Verstappen, Hamilton continued to say that the battle was "clearly a lot different to what we experienced last year".
The Dutchman, however, does not agree with his former title rival's assessment of events, suggesting that Hamilton had in fact ceded more space on this occasion, joking that the seven-time world champion was "still learning".
“You can clearly see in the footage what was different compared to last year,” Verstappen said.
“I think Charles gave him less space than I did last year, so that says it all. And in the end, [Lewis] was the one who got penalised last year, so there's no point talking about that either.
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“I think it's quite nice that, at 37 years of age, you can still learn how to hit an apex.
“He is learning, so that is positive. It is also good for younger drivers to know that you are still learning when you are 37 years old.”
Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz took victory at Silverstone last Sunday as Hamilton produced his best performance of the season so far, finishing third.
Verstappen, by contrast, struggled, slowed by floor damage to his car after hitting debris and eventually coming home in seventh.
An error in race strategy from Ferrari ensured that the defending champion did not lose significant ground to likeliest title rival Leclerc, though, with Ferrari's lead driver fourth.
Verstappen tops the Drivers' Championship standings, 34 points ahead of fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, with Leclerc a further nine behind.
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