Ever since he became the world champion in 2021, Max Verstappen has become the talk of the town, overshadowing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at every turn. With the Dutchman enjoying unprecedented success season after season, the Briton has fallen well behind in the pecking order, failing to win a single race in the last two seasons.
Keeping the same in mind when reviewing the 2023 season, Dutch racer Tom Coronel reckons Hamilton gets hurt by everything Verstappen does. Quoted in a report by Formule1, Coronel spoke about the visible tension between the two drivers while also pointing out how Verstappen’s actions trouble Hamilton.
“Everything Max does offends Lewis. They don’t look at each other, they walk past each other, you just feel the tension.”, said Coronel.
Despite driving cars that were nowhere near the level of the Red Bull cars in the last two seasons, Hamilton secured respectable results, even finishing P3 in 2023. As such, while it is certain the Briton is losing the battle right now, it doesn’t look like the 38-year-old will go down as easily in the war.
A legendary rivalry forming between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
Going head-to-head throughout 2021, Verstappen came out on top in the last lap of the last race of the season to snatch the drivers’ championship away from the clutches of Hamilton. In the following seasons, Hamilton and Mercedes were nowhere near Verstappen and Red Bull, with the Dutchman recording back-to-back record-breaking years in F1.
While Verstappen won 15 and 19 races in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Hamilton has yet to register a race win since the 2021 season, owing mostly to a Mercedes car incapable of winning a Grand Prix. As such, Coronel claimed Hamilton wants nothing more than to take back the throne Verstappen took from him. “He’s definitely going to try to grab Max by the balls again. He won’t succeed, but he will try. He is the only one who dares to do that.”
However, it won’t be an easy feat since Red Bull is already miles ahead in the development race under the current regulations. Having started work on the 2024 car in August, the Austrian outfit already has a massive advantage over their Brackley rivals.
Furthermore, the Silver Arrows have now begun working on an entirely new concept for the W15. On paper, this suggests the Milton Keynes-based team will go into the next season with a huge advantage over Mercedes. As such, the most realistic window for the Brackley-based team to be on equal terms with Red Bull will open in 2026, when the new regulations kick in.
