Max Verstappen's 'negative' comments about battle against Lewis Hamilton in 2021 season 'disappointing,' says former driver

Former F1 driver and TV pundit Johnny Herbert has labeled Max Verstappen’s recent comments about his title battle against Lewis Hamilton in 2021 as “negative.”

During a recent interview, the Red Bull driver said that he felt more comfortable fighting against Charles Leclerc since they grew up racing each other. Furthermore, Verstappen felt that he could have a better relationship with Leclerc and Ferrari outside the track as well despite their hard on-track battles. He felt that he couldn’t say the same about Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton last year.

Herbert believes that such comments from the Dutchman are “disappointing” and dismissive of Lewis Hamilton. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the 2022 Hungarian GP, Herbert said:

“[It was] disappointing, actually, in many respects. He seems to sort of just [have] dismissed Lewis [Hamilton] straight away, and then he was straight onto Charles [Leclerc] and Ferrari [and] the battle they’re having.”

He added:

“I thought he was enjoying the battle they were having on track [last season], but clearly there, he wasn’t enjoying it at all. But I don’t understand why his comments would be so negative towards Lewis and the battle that they had last year. I’m quite perplexed.”

The battle for the title between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen last season was one of the closest in the sport’s history, but it was also highly controversial. Apart from their numerous on-track collisions, Verstappen and Hamilton, along with their respective team bosses, engaged in a war of words that often turned toxic.

In stark contrast, this year’s title battle between Verstappen and Leclerc has been much more cordial, with the pair keeping their battles strictly within the track, while staying friendly and supportive off track.

However, it must be said that this year's title battle is not nearly as close as last year's was. It will be interesting to see whether the dynamic between Verstappen and Leclerc changes should the championship battle get fiercer later this season.

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Max Verstappen-Charles Leclerc rivalry will “get a bit more feisty” as the season progresses, predicts former F1 world champion

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg doesn't believe that the relationship between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will stay amicable throughout the 2022 F1 season. The German predicted their rivalry to get “a bit more feisty” as the title battle heats up. Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Mercedes driver said:

“Honestly, that [lack of drama between Verstappen and Leclerc] surprises me massively because they have gone wheel-to-wheel so much and so intensely.”

He continued:

“And that there’s never even been kind of a discussion moment, or anything has been a huge surprise.”

Rosberg added:

“It’s not as fiery yet but, believe me, if they keep at it like that, there will come a point where they will be touching, colliding and things will get a bit more feisty. I’m looking forward to that.’’

Ahead of the summer break, Max Verstappen sits comfortably at the top of the standings with a whopping 63-point lead, while Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have the gargantuan task of having to win nearly every one of the remaining races to mount a comeback.