"I don't need that kind of rivalry": Max Verstappen comments on his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen feels that the rivalry that he has with Lewis Hamilton is not 'personal' and that's not something he needs in the sport. The Dutch driver and the British driver were involved in a very intense battle for the title in 2021. The season saw the two drivers going at it throughout the year and in the end, it was Max who came out on top albeit in controversial circumstances.

Since 2021, while Max Verstappen has dominated the sport with his Red Bull and won the title quite comfortably in 2022 and 2023, Lewis Hamilton has struggled. The Mercedes under him has just not been competitive enough to muster any kind of a title challenge. What's worse is that the driver has been even unable to win a single race in all this time.

During this time, the rivalry has somewhat simmered down but it does boil over sometimes in the media. For instance, Lewis Hamilton was quick to point out in 2023 that he felt none of Max Verstappen's teammates were better than what he had in his career. What followed was a back-and-forth between the two drivers which wasn't ideal.

Talking to The Times, when questioned if the rivalry had become personal, the Red Bull driver refuted and said that the relationship was pretty normal away from the track.

He said:

"I don't need that kind of rivalry. Of course we want to beat each other, but honestly, once we're in a private setting it's like just normal guys."

Max Verstappen shares a hilarious anecdote during his driving test

In the same interview, Max Verstappen shared a hilarious anecdote during his driving license test. The Red Bull driver joined F1 in 2015 when he was still a teenager and not even old enough to drive legally. He had the surprise distinction of having the super license (to race in F1) but not the license to drive.

In the interview, he talked about the hilarious interaction with the examiner when he went to take his driving test. He said:

"The examiner told me to go right and I went left. Then I didn’t give way [to pedestrians at a crossing]. He was not very happy. I argued with him because I thought they were not actually at the crossing. So I was, like, 'But they’re not there yet, so why should I stop?'"

The Red Bull driver has now won three titles in a row and in 2024 he will be looking to extend his streak and get a fourth one.