Hamilton empathises with under pressure Verstappen

LONDON - Lewis Hamilton said he knows the ‘intense’ pressure title rival Max Verstappen must be feeling as he battles for his first Formula One championship.

For the second time this season, Hamilton and Verstappen collided at the Italian Grand Prix. The incident took both drivers out of the race and led to Verstappen being given a three-place grid penalty for this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.

Verstappen leads the championship by five points and is looking to win his first title. By contrast, Hamilton has won

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more F1 races than any other driver in history and is hunting an eighth title which would move him clear of Michael Schumacher on the all-time list of champions.

Hamilton, who made his debut in 2007 and won his first championship the following season, said he could remember how difficult it was to be fighting for the first one. “Naturally, we are battling for a championship,” Hamilton said.

Battling

“I remember what it was like battling for my first championship and obviously I’m fighting for something like my 10th battle. I remember what it was

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like and the pressure and experiences that you go with, so I empathise with that. I think what is important is that we continue to race hard, but fair. I have no doubts that we will both be professional and learn from the past.”

Unlike their clash at the British Grand Prix in July, when Hamilton received a penalty, the Monza race stewards found Verstappen ‘predominantly to blame’ for their second clash. He arrives at Sochi with a grid penalty to serve, meaning it is likely Red Bull will change his engine, which would drop the Dutch driver to the back of the grid.