Max Verstappen has accused Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel of being disrespectful to him in light of comments they made in the wake of the Mexican Grand Prix last Sunday.
After Verstappen’s troubled weekend in Mexico, Hamilton hit out at his aggressive racing style, likening the Red Bull driver to a torpedo. Sebastian Vettel agreed with Hamilton, saying he would copy-paste the same comments.
When asked about the criticism from the older guard, Verstappen replied, “It was a bit of a silly comment [for them] to make. I think I’m always a hard racer but fair. I think it’s just not correct – but of course, it’s easy to have a dig at someone.
“From my side, it’s fine. It’s always positive when the talk about you. That means you’re in their head, So, for my side, I just focus on my driving and I think that’s enough said.”
In the wake of the comments by Hamilton and Vettel, Verstappen’s father Jos said that both World Champions felt “threatened” by his 22-year-old son.
Verstappen junior added, “I think, from my side, it only shows that I’m in their heads and I guess that’s a good thing but I don’t need to dig into other people in the press conferences.
“First of all I think it’s a bit disrespectful as well and I prefer to fight on track which I love to do and of course I like to fight hard but on the edge. Otherwise, if they want me to stay behind, it’s also better to stay at home.
“I really want to take the fight to them because that’s what we are here for. We are racers, we in Formula 1, I think we are the best out there and we do fight for victories because that’s what I live for,” added the Dutchman.
Big Question: Are Seb and Lewis being too hard on Max?