LET’S TAKE IT TO THE MAX
PAGES OF Red Bull star hits back at Hamilton START WITH F1
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LEWIS HAMILTON has been warned by Max Verstappen that he will not back away from a battle in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton labelled Verstappen a “d***head” after the pair collided on lap two of last weekend’s race in Bahrain.
The Mercedes star yesterday attempted to bury the hatchet with Verstappen, revealing he had shaken hands with his Red Bull rival.
But Verstappen remains in no mood to give ground on the track should the pair once again be in close proximity in Shanghai.
Change
Taking issue with Hamilton’s earlier claim that his inexperience and mistakes were costing his team precious points, Verstappen, 20, said: “It’s simple and easy to blame the younger driver, that’s the only way I can see it.
“There is no reason for me to change anything. Why should I change something?
“I don’t think I did anything wrong in terms of my approach. I was just trying to overtake a car and I think it was a fair chance. I went for it.
“That’s racing – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
“I had a fair shot at it, it was nothing crazy, nothing risky, but unfortunately this time it didn’t work out.” Verstappen picked up a puncture and was then forced to retire due to damage sustained in the coming together.
But Hamilton changed his tune yesterday when asked about the incident, saying: “I shook his hand and I said, ‘Look, I am sorry about the last race’.
“It is good to show respect. Regardless if I am the older driver – in fact, it being more important that I am the older driver – I felt it was important that I went to him.
“If it was his fault, or my fault, it doesn’t really matter as it is now in the past.”
Addressing his post-race insult, the British driver added: “I forgot the camera was there.
“Imagine being in a scenario where your senses are heightened and your emotions are running crazy.
“You are infuriated but yet you are excited, on an adrenalin rush, and then somebody puts a microphone in your face.
“You are probably not going to answer as calmly as you would, but people judge you on that moment and you don’t feel great.”