Sky F1 pundit calls out Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff for disappointing conduct towards Max Verstappen during 2023 F1 Italian GP

Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle has expressed his disappointment towards Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff for not appreciating Max Verstappen's 10-win streak.

The Dutchman's domination this season has set him apart from the entire grid and perhaps the sport's history. He has won 12 out of 14 races in the season so far and made history after winning the Italian GP this month, marking his 10th consecutive victory.

This has never been achieved by any other driver in the history of the sport, but Wolff sounded rather unimpressed by it. He had stated that the record is only for 'Wikipedia,' and no one reads that either way.

Martin Brundle, talking about the incident, mentioned that despite what anyone says, Max Verstappen's achievement is huge and deserves respect from the paddock. He wrote for Sky Sports:

"For Max Verstappen to win 10 consecutive races, along with Red Bull taking all 15 races so far this season, it’s truly something to behold.

"What an achievement to faultlessly keep up that level of performance and reliability on many different track layouts and in varying weather conditions, up against mighty opposition. Congratulations to each and every one of them."

He later mentioned that he was surprised and disappointed with Toto Wolff for saying it was for the records instead of appreciating Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Brundle wrote:

"Sport can and should be tribal, but you must surely also appreciate a level of excellence in others.

"So I was a little surprised and disappointed that Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff played down this achievement over the weekend because they rightly received their due reverence and appreciation during their years of total domination from 2014 to 2020."

---

Former F1 driver feels Max Verstappen's battles have become more pragmatic

The Italian Grand Prix was the only race this season where the double-world champion was challenged by another car - Carlos Sainz's Ferrari - for 14 long laps initially.

The two shared a moment when they came extremely close on turn 1. It was a similar incident to that Verstappen shared with Lewis Hamilton back in 2021 on the same corner.

The 2021 race saw both of them taking each other out in the race. This time around, the Dutchman slowed down enough to give Sainz space, not before calling the maneveur 'naughty' on his team radio.

Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver, feels that the RB19 is the reason why Max Verstappen was so pragmatic with his move. According to him, the dominating car has helped him gain enough confidence to not attack completely at the same time and hence race safely.

PlanetF1 quoted Palmer as saying:

"But unlike two years ago – when he had to be clinical, he had to go for everything against Hamilton – he has the best car on his own now.

"He’s got the margin, he can be safe and it’s not do or die, which it has been in the past for him. So the car that he’s got now allows him to be a little bit more pragmatic in battle."