Max Verstappen has admitted that he doesn’t “miss” his titanic duels with Lewis Hamilton, although he does “appreciate” the fights he had with the seven-time World Champion in 2021.
Verstappen and Hamilton had a title fight for the ages in 2021, which was ultimately decided by ex-race director Michael Masi.
As well documented, Masi failed to follow the rule books in the closing laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which resulted in Hamilton losing an unprecedented eighth Drivers’ Championship.
It was Verstappen who capitalised on Masi’s poor handling of the event, something which has seen him receive significant social media backlash over the years.
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What happened at the 2021 finale wasn’t Verstappen’s fault in the slightest, yet it’s resulted in his first title being tarnished.
His duels with Hamilton are still spoken about on a regular basis, as are the collisions the duo had, particularly at the British Grand Prix that year.
Since the introduction of the new aerodynamic regulations in 2022, Verstappen has rarely battled with Hamilton, due to Mercedes failing to offer the 38-year-old a competitive car.
Verstappen and Red Bull have been in a complete league of their own, as witnessed this year, where the Dutchman was victorious in 19 of the 22 races.
Many have stated how keen they are for Hamilton to be given a strong car in 2024, so that he can do battle with Verstappen once again.
Whilst fans might miss the two elite drivers duelling, Verstappen doesn’t, with him currently appreciating the amount of success himself and Red Bull are enjoying.
It was put to him just how long Hamilton has been winless for now, with him admitting that when the Mercedes driver was dominant, he also went similar lengths of time without claiming victory.
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“I don’t miss duels with him,” Verstappen told Blick.
“I’m happy with how this season went. Of course, I appreciate the duels we once had. But now I appreciate above all the successes that we can celebrate as a team.
“Not winning 45 times in a row? It happened to me too. Every now and then I managed to win. Well, periods like this can happen, but I prefer not to think about it. Because they devour the necessary energy in you.”