Hamilton: They could see me and Max in 2021. The same thing is happening today…

We see an increasingly hot championship race, and the main topic is Max Verstappen’s racing style. The situation may be familiar to Lewis Hamilton. In 2021, he tried to overcome his disadvantage against the Dutchman with a car that became more competitive by the end of the year, and his opponent did everything to make the attempt make this impossible. Last week in Mexico, Lando Norris visited the crash site twice after being sent off the line by the defending champion. The FIA ​​handed out two 10-second time penalties to Verstappen, but the story was far from over here. The days that have passed since then have been all about the conversation about what happened and the tension in the F1 ranks.

Due to the past, the media, which likes to cover the subject, was also interested in Hamilton’s opinion, but it was not easy to draw the Mercedes driver into the this topic at a press conference in Brazil on Thursday. “I think it’s really exciting for the sport. The last few years weren’t necessarily exciting, because Max was always in the lead. This happens sometimes. But it’s really exciting from a supporter’s point of view to see them fight to the end now at the end of the year.”

“There’s a chance Lando will catch up. I read somewhere that he should average eleven points in every race, which is certainly possible with their current performance.”

“We all know Max and his strengths and… I can’t say any weaknesses, if any. Then there is Lando, who has grown up to the task and is the leader of his team. I don’t really spend too much time watching how they race or set up their cars. Everyone knows what happened in the last two races, and everyone has their own opinion about it.”

“At the end of the day, these two know what they’re doing. Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few races and hopefully I’ll at least have a good idea of ​​what they’re up to beforehand.” Hamilton smiled.

While we know what he thinks about Verstappen and his defensive moves (he said in Mexico, among other things), Hamilton seems to be trying to remove himself from the debate this. He noted that he feels a parallel between 2021 and today. Asked if he thought Verstappen’s actions were dangerous, he said: “All you have to do is listen back to my radio broadcasts from that time. I don’t really want to get into that, I have nothing to do with it right now. If I were part of the duel, I would go deeper into it.”

“Those two are being asked these questions, because they are affected. Anyway, I don’t see much difference between 2021 and now. Exactly the same”

Hamilton said.

In relation to the much debated racing guidelines and the loopholes inherent in them, he noted that he hopes the FIA ​​will not allow such a large movement in the future. According to him, it depends on the society how long everything will stay the same way.“The rules are the same as they were in 2021. They saw me and Max in 2021 and basically the same thing is happening today and it will probably be the same until they change. “

According to him, however, we should not only think about changing the rules. When asked if he thinks today’s competitors are more aggressive than those in his age group, he replied no and pointed out: “The problems at the fields will not help. If there was a bed of gravel or grass, they wouldn’t do this all the time. So I’m looking forward to the developments. Hopefully there will be changes next year” said the seven-time world champion.