Hamilton urges Verstappen to show "world champion" conduct
Lewis Hamilton suggests Max Verstappen should "act like a world champion" following radio outbursts at the Hungarian GP. The Mercedes driver emphasizes the importance of team leadership and appropriate conduct, while Verstappen remains defiant about his approach.
Max Verstappen's aggressive radio communications during the Hungarian Grand Prix have drawn criticism from Lewis Hamilton, who believes the reigning world champion needs to reassess his behavior.
The Mercedes driver's comments come in the wake of Verstappen's repeated outbursts towards his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, during a frustrating fifth-place finish in Budapest.
Mounting tensions at Red Bull
As the 2023 Formula 1 season progresses, Verstappen's frustration appears to be growing, coinciding with recent race victories by Mercedes and McLaren.
The Dutch driver's heated exchanges over team radio have become increasingly frequent, raising questions about the impact on team morale and his leadership role within Red Bull.
When confronted about his approach to team communications upon arriving at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen remained defiant.
"People that don't like my language don't have to listen to it. Turn the volume down,"
he stated, adding,
"I am very driven to success. I think I've proven that already."
Hamilton's perspective on championship conduct
Hamilton, drawing from his extensive experience as a seven-time world champion, offered a different view on how a title-holder should conduct themselves.
"You have to be a team leader, a team member,"
Hamilton explained.
"Maybe not so much a team leader but more so just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion."
When pressed to elaborate on what acting like a champion entails, Hamilton responded with a laugh,
"That's a good question... Not like it was last weekend!"
On-track tensions persist
The comments from Hamilton come in the context of ongoing tensions between the two drivers.
Their rivalry, which reached its peak during the intense 2021 title fight, saw another flashpoint in Hungary when they collided on track.
While both drivers avoided penalties from the stewards, the incident has reignited discussions about their racing relationship.
Despite promises to discuss the collision privately, Hamilton revealed that no such conversation has taken place.
"No, we didn't talk afterwards. We went to the stewards and that's it. We've not had a talk,"
he said. The British driver left the door open for potential dialogue, suggesting they might find time during the drivers' parade at the upcoming race weekend.
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