NOVEMBER 1, 2019

Verstappen hits back at disrespectful Hamilton

Max Verstappen has accused Lewis Hamilton of being "disrespectful".

Max Verstappen has accused Lewis Hamilton of being "disrespectful".

After the Dutchman's troubled weekend in Mexico, Hamilton hit out at Verstappen's aggressive racing style, likening him to a "torpedo".

Sebastian Vettel agreed with Hamilton, saying he would "copy-paste" the comments.

"It was a bit of a silly comment to make," Verstappen said in Austin when asked about Hamilton's criticism.

"I think I'm always a hard racer but fair. I think it's just not correct, but of course it's easy to have a dig at someone."

In the wake of Hamilton's comments, Verstappen's father Jos said the world champion as well as Vettel are "threatened" by the 22-year-old.

And Max said in Austin: "It's always positive when they talk about you. That means you're in their heads.

"But I don't need to dig into other people, because first of all I think it's a bit disrespectful and I prefer to fight on the track which I love to do. Fight hard but on the edge.

"Otherwise, if they want me to stay behind, it's better to stay at home. I really want to take the fight to them because that's what we are here for.

"We are racers, we are in Formula 1, I think we are the best out there and we fight for victories because that's what I live for," Verstappen added.

(GMM)