"Maybe God is with him, but he is not God" - When Max Verstappen commented on Lewis Hamilton winning his 7th title with a dominant Mercedes

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen once claimed that Mercedes driver and rival Lewis Hamilton wasn't "God," ahead of the 2020 season. The Dutch driver was always seen as a champion in the making but his team did not always have the machinery to take the challenge to the mighty German outfit at that point.

However, after finishing the then-career-best third in the championship in 2019 and winning three races, the 21-year-old Verstappen was growing in confidence and was a constant threat to the Brackley-based outfit, a point that was further proved during the 2020 season.

Speaking to the media ahead of the season, Verstappen believed that Lewis Hamilton was beatable despite winning three consecutive titles heading into 2020. He said (via F1i.com):

"Of course, it is very car-dependent in Formula 1. Lewis is very good. He is definitely one of the best out there. He is not God, maybe God is with him, but he is not God. When you can put the pressure on, it is a lot harder for the guy in the lead.

"If he never really has pressure, he can drive at 97 or 98 percent and then you never make mistakes. If we start the season within two-tenths (of Mercedes), we can mount the pressure. I am looking forward to when we get that fight and if we are really close, I am pretty sure we can do better."

Although the Red Bull driver was unable to deny Lewis Hamilton the title in 2020, he was right on his tail the season after, when the Milton-Keynes outfit provided a more competitive car. Verstappen took his maiden title in the 2021 season, to start his era of dominance in F1.

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Max Verstappen hits back at criticism directed towards his RB20

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said this week he found it "bizarre" that people come up with different reasons for RB20's downturn in performance mid-season.

As per Motorsport.com, the three-time world champion said,

"People always come up with different stuff. I find it really bizarre how they come up with some of these things, but it is what it is. It's part of the game, but I usually just let it go. I've been in F1 for 10 years now and I'm not wasting time on all those stories. I mean, I barely read anything about F1 anyway.

"Of course, sometimes I see something or someone else tells me: "Did you see what this and that person said?' But I always say people can think what they want, I'm not going to waste my energy on that. So, I don't really care about what other people say."

Despite failing to win a race since late June, Max Verstappen still leads the championship by 52 points from Lando Norris, with six races and three Sprints remaining in the 2024 season.