Fact Check: Did Max Verstappen claim Lewis Hamilton has 6 world titles and not 7 during an interview?

A piece of extremely controversial news about Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton has been doing the rounds on the internet lately. However, there are questions about whether it is legitimate news or not.

Rumor has it that, while giving an interview, Verstappen claimed that Hamilton only has six world championships. Verstappen allegedly took a jibe at Toto Wolff's 'Wikipedia' comment as well, saying that he does not look up these facts on the website.

Since Verstappen's rivalry with Hamilton during the 2021 F1 season is still fresh in people's minds, this rumored quote quickly went viral. It blew up even more when several British publications released articles about it.

Of course, social media platforms were flooded with posts and heated discussions about the statement. But the question is, did Max Verstappen really say that?

The answer to that is a resounding 'no.'

Firstly, there are no videos or audio interviews found where Verstappen can be heard speaking about the Mercedes driver only having six world championships to his name.

Secondly a picture collage of the interview has been found on a subreddit called 'r/formuladank', which is a meme page. This is the oldest and first source of the rumored comments, which were, of course, made in jest.

This proves that Verstappen's quote about Hamilton's number of world championships was false, as the Dutchman never said it.

Imagine byu/razareddit informuladank

Ever since the 2021 F1 season, where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton raced intensely against each other for the world championship, their rivalry has been discussed by millions of fans.

While there have been many positive talks about how brilliant the 2021 season and both drivers were, there is a fair share of people who do not like either driver. Hence, this meme confused and even enraged quite a lot of fans.

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Max Verstappen feels Lewis Hamilton can fight for the championship again with the right car

Since Max Verstappen has recently raced against Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 F1 world championship, the Red Bull driver is well aware of how strong the seven-time world champion truly is.

While speaking to Sky Sports at the start of the 2023 F1 season, Verstappen praised Hamilton as being one of the best drivers in the sport and suggested that he can chase another title if he has a good car with him.

"He's been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport, so for sure if he has the car to do it, he can fight for the title again," Verstappen said.

Currently, Hamilton is fourth in the drivers' championship with 164 points. He has recently signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes, in the hope of winning his record-breaking eighth world title before retiring.