"Lewis? He was never an inspiration to me" - Max Verstappen 'can't describe' relationship with Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen says that Lewis Hamilton was never an inspiration to him growing up. He has claimed that he cannot “find words” to describe their current relationship.

In an interview on the German talk show Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7, the Dutchman said:

“Lewis? He was never an inspiration to me. I can’t describe our relationship. Frankly, I can’t find a word.”

Verstappen and Hamilton have had a rocky relationship throughout 2021, as they battled each other for the world championship. On several occasions this season, the pair collided with each other on the track. This has led to acrimony between themselves and their teams, which only increased by the end of the year, as the championship battle heated up.

“At the end of the season, everything was fine (between us). Of course, we had our moments and maybe we got mad at each other. But we also had some great duels and some spectacular overtaking.”

In an interview with the BBC after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen claimed that sometimes in the season, “they did hate each other”.

After the season’s conclusion in Abu Dhabi, however, the pair have generally been respectful and complimentary towards each other. Hamilton apparently congratulated Verstappen and Red Bull on their championship victory.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen praised Lewis Hamilton as a “great sportsman”, and claimed that he thanked the latter for helping make 2021 “a great season”.

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Sergio Perez claims Max Verstappen would have struggled at Mercedes

Max Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez has claimed that the former would have struggled with Mercedes if he had switched over to the team this year. The Mexican's words are reminiscent of the same way he struggled with his switch from Racing Point to Red Bull.

In an interview with GPFans, the Mexican driver said:

“Driving a different power unit, it's a completely different task. Driving a completely different philosophy of the car with a higher rake versus a lower rake, it's a completely different task. The way you approach things are just extremely different and you have to learn new techniques.”

“It would be the same if Max went to Mercedes. They are just very different. They produce very similar lap times, but the way they get the lap time is extremely different.”

“Checo” Perez arrived at Red Bull at the start of 2021 after losing his seat at Racing Point (now Aston Martin) to Sebastian Vettel. Throughout the season, the Mexican driver struggled to adapt to the RB16B, especially in qualifying.

Perez’s pace was much better on race day, and at times comparable to Max Verstappen’s. His poor qualifying, however, usually meant most of his races were compromised from the get-go, which ultimately cost Red Bull the constructors' championship.