Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has said that Sir Lewis Hamilton doesn’t know how to race “like I do”.
The Championship protagonists will start the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on 369.5 points each, and Verstappen will start on pole position, just ahead of Hamilton in P2.
The pair have had more than their fair share of on-track incidents this season, with Verstappen attracting plenty of criticism for being too aggressive when racing Hamilton, especially in the last few races.
Speaking ahead of the Championship showdown, Verstappen said he thinks Hamilton is scared of him, but that’s something the seven-time F1 World Champion will never admit.
“He will never admit that. At least I’m not afraid of him,” Verstappen said in an interview with the De Telegraaf newspaper.
“Yeah, I think I make him nervous if he sees me in his mirrors.
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“He’s a different driver than me, less aggressive. He doesn’t know how to race like I do.
“I can’t blame him for that either, because he was never able to learn that like I did from my father.”
Asked if he believes he is the best driver in Formula 1, Verstappen said “absolutely” and added that the Championship battle would have long been decided had he been driving Hamilton’s Mercedes.
“I think you should be like that if you’re a Formula 1 driver. So I say yes, absolutely!” the Red Bull driver replied.
“But I don’t need to hear that from anyone else. I don’t need that recognition.
“I find it much more important what I think myself, and what the people who are close to me think.
“If I had been in his car, the season would have been decided long ago.”
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