Lewis Hamilton believes that Max Verstappen’s driving style remains largely unchanged from their intense and controversial title battle in 2021.
Verstappen’s recent wheel-to-wheel tactics have come under scrutiny following incidents with Lando Norris during the past two races in the United States and Mexico City. Verstappen received a total of 20 seconds in penalties for running Norris off the track twice in the last grand prix.
Norris described Verstappen’s actions as “dangerous” and suggested that the three-time world champion “got what he had coming to him” in Mexico City, drawing parallels to their own controversial clashes three years ago.
When asked if he shares Norris’s opinion about Verstappen’s driving, Hamilton responded, “All you have to do is go back and listen to some of my radio comments back in the day. It’s not something I really want to tap into. It’s nothing to do with me at the moment”.
“Obviously, if I was in the battle, I could lean more into it. These are things you have to ask those two because those are the ones that it’s affecting. But I don’t think you’re seeing much difference across the years, from 2021 till now, it’s pretty much the same.”
Hamilton also reflected on whether he believes F1 has become more aggressive since his debut in 2007, stating,
“I don’t think so. I’ve raced for a long, long time. I wouldn’t say Formula 1 has got more aggressive. When I first got to Formula 1, I was racing with Fernando, who was very firm and tough to beat on track. It was no different to now I’d say.”
He pointed out that the main difference lies in the design of modern tracks, which feature expansive run-off areas.
“When I joined, we didn’t have these big run-off areas. So when you first got in, you really had to build up to the limit. You couldn’t go beyond it, go off-track and come back on,” he explained.
Hamilton noted that the introduction of large run-off zones allowed younger drivers to push the limits without the fear of being penalized as they could avoid gravel traps.
“The thing I noticed the most, maybe around Max’s time or just before, when they started having these big run-off areas, younger drivers were able to come in and really abuse those areas by not putting the car on grass, for example”.
“I think that gave them a real good cushion for bedding themselves into the sport and finding the limit,” he added. “I would say that’s been the biggest shift. It would be great to see the old-school way come back.”
Following discussions in Mexico, the FIA is revising its guidelines, with a new draft expected to be shared with drivers at the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix.
Hamilton remarked, “The rules are still the same as they were back in 2021, so what we saw in 2021 with myself and Max is still happening today and will continue until perhaps they make a change. Also, the tracks, with the run-off areas don’t help. If it was gravel or grass, they wouldn’t be going all the way out there. So it will be interesting to see the development and hopefully they’ll make some changes for next year.”