The 2021 season saw fans treated to one of the most intense battles for the drivers’ championship in recent history, with Max Verstappen narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton to the title.
The pair came together on numerous occasions over the course of the season, with high-profile crashes in Silverstone, Monza and Saudi Arabia contributing to a frosty relationship between the two drivers.
Season ended in controversial fashion with Michael Masi’s decision to allow only certain cars to unlap themselves during a late safety car in Abu Dhabi allowing Verstappen to pass Hamilton for the race and title victory.
Toto Wolff has recently spoken about the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, claiming that the fairness of the sport was breached by Masi’s decision making that day.
READ: Lewis Hamilton on Max Verstappen: ‘Nobody can take that away from him’
Lewis Hamilton has now commented on the controversial season, claiming that he has no reason to hold a grudge against Verstappen as he simple did what he had to do to win the championship, win races.
“People like to talk about there being problems between Max and me. I respect him,” he told Formula 1 Magazine.
“He is a lot younger, so maybe he has a problem with me. But I am not sure about that and I actually assume not. Although I can’t speak for him.
“He did everything he had to do in 2021, so why should I have a problem with him? He performed and delivered every weekend, nobody can take that away from him.”
READ: ‘The FIA took the guy out of the job’: Toto Wolff denies Michael Masi anger
Hamilton and Verstappen were not without their incidents in 2022, despite the fact that Mercedes were not able to lay a glove on Red Bull for the majority of the season.
The one weekend that Mercedes did dominate was in Brazil, and Verstappen found himself being penalised for hitting Hamilton going into the Senna S, as the duo went wheel to wheel for the first time that year.
The W14 is expected to be much more competitive than its predecessor, meaning that fans may be treated to another explosive and action packed title race including the 38-year-old this season.