LEW WANT SOME?

Max spoiling for a fight in bid to add F1 fizz

MAX VERSTAPPEN says “boring” F1 needs a proper fight – with Lewis Hamilton even admitting he is now the hunter rather than the hunted.

Both Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas are adamant Red Bull have the strongest car heading into tomorrow’s Emilia Romagna GP.

Even so, Bottas was fastest in first practice as the session was cut short by a few minutes thanks to a Nikita Mazepin spin in the Haas which brought out the red flag.

Hamilton was second fastest with the Red Bull of Verstappen in third.

Since 2014, no other team has managed to topple Mercedes off their perch and Verstappen believes he is the man to ignite a sport which he thinks has gone stale.

“F1 needs a proper fight because for the last few years it has been a bit boring,” he said. “On the Monday after the race, as a fan you want to be looking forward to the next one, knowing that there are two or even three teams fighting for that win.

“I guess after Lewis won his last six championships where the battle was maybe not as high for him, now being a seven-time world champion and the most successful driver in F1, he really wants that battle.

“He has already achieved everything and way more than you can ever imagine. Winning those amount of titles is very rare and it is not going to happen many times.

“But he is like, ‘OK, I am getting towards the end of my career and it is nice to see the younger guys coming up and making it more difficult for me.’

“And, of course, from my side,

I am very happy to make it more difficult for him.”

Hamilton also recognises that this season will be different from previous ones in which he dominated.

He said: “You can see that Red Bull currently are ahead and we are the hunters.

“We like that position – I like it. That’s what I started out with back when I was racing karts at Rye House. It’s nothing new for me and it’s definitely exciting.

“We’re under no illusions that we are having to chase. We are on the back foot slightly but I still think we’re the best team. As it’s shown in the last race, there’s so many elements to having the best team, not just having the best car.”

Bottas said: “We are behind but I don’t feel pressure, I feel excitement and motivation. We are the hunters, not the ones being hunted.

“I can definitely see the motivation in each team member’s eyes.”

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