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F1 fans were left fuming following former world champion Damon Hill's latest comments against Max Verstappen. The British legend has been quite critical of the Dutch driver in recent years, particularly concerning his on-track conduct during wheel-to-wheel situations which were evident in the 2024 season.
Additionally, the 1996 world champion has not shied away from responding to Red Bull's claims on several issues like race stewards and British bias to name a few. Recently, while, speaking with RMC Motori, former four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost heaped a lot of praise on Max Verstappen and even compared him to another F1 legend in Niki Lauda, saying:
“He has shown that he is the best, so being equal with four titles with someone like him doesn’t bother me. I never want to compare yesterday’s drivers with today’s [but] Max is like Niki when it comes to directness, there is no doubt about that.
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“If you asked Lauda anything, the answer was always honest. Verstappen is a very engaging man, he says what he thinks. About the rest, I cannot judge.”
The former Williams F1 driver responded to Prost's assessment of the Red Bull driver but made one stark distinction between Verstappen and Lauda on his Instagram Story, claiming:
“I agree with that [Prost’s comments]. He never misses a beat. But Lauda drove with his mind, not his fists.”
F1 fans on social media platform X gave their reactions to Damon Hill's comments on Max Verstappen, with one fan angrily claiming:
"Yet another shallow (and incorrect) comparison by Hill. Nikki was a great driver, he was honest, he spoke his mind challenging others constructively. He improved the sport. Max is good, yet not proven. He always needs help to win. And when he talks, he insults, denigrates, or says something very stupid and childish. He damages the sport."
"One wonders why would Sky Sports get rid of Damon Hill can’t figure out that one."
"Max won’t care. F1 fans won’t care. Pathetic statement by Damon."
Here are some more reactions:
"Damon Hill can’t sleep since 2021," wrote a fan.
"How does one drive with their fists?" asked another sacrcastically."
"So..? Senna drove with his fists, Schumacher did too. Most multiple champions actually did," pointed out another.
Max Verstappen comments on the upcoming Chinese GP this weekend
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he and the Austrian team would have to be switched on and learn from the season opener in Melbourne at the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, given it will be the first sprint weekend of the 2025 season.
As per Pitpass, the 27-year-old previewed the upcoming weekend and said:
"The team learned a lot and in the end, I was pleased with P2, but there is still a lot we can improve on. The tire degradation particularly impacted us in Melbourne, but we came away with a lot of learnings and ways to improve. It is the first Sprint weekend of the season so we need to make sure we have the best setup of the car possible and score as many points as we can."
Max Verstappen came close to winning the Australian Grand Prix after he closed the gap on eventual race winner Lando Norris in the final few laps of the race.
