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Max Verstappen came to the 2023 F1 Singapore GP prepared with some crisp responses to Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff's dismissive remarks about his record-breaking run. Despite the Dutchman breaking the record for the most consecutive wins in F1 as he won his 10th straight race in Monza, the snide comments did not stop throughout the weekend.
There was some back and forth when Wolff's comments were brought to Verstappen's knowledge. At Monza, the Red Bull driver was caught a little off-guard just like he was by Hamilton's comments. Not in Singapore though as what Verstappen meted out was evidence of the reigning F1 king pulling no punches.
When it came to Toto Wolff and his dismissive comments about Max Verstappen's record-breaking run, the Dutch driver just suggested the Mercedes boss focus on his team.
When asked if he was disappointed by Toto's comments, Verstappen told the media, including Sportskeeda, during the FIA press conference:
I’m not disappointed in that, but I mean they had a pretty sh*t race so probably he was still pissed off with their performance. He almost sounds like he’s an employee of our team sometimes, you know? But no, luckily [he’s] not. I think it’s just important that you focus on your own team. That’s what we do as well."
"That’s what we did in the past as well when we were behind them and when they were dominating and I think you should be able to appreciate when a team is doing really well, which I think we’ve done in the past because it worked also as a kind of inspiration," he added.
Arguably an even meaner side of the Red Bull driver was in store for Lewis Hamilton as Max Verstappen once again used the word 'jealous' to describe his adversary.
"It's not nice of Hamilton towards the teammates I've had, but it's ironic that after his interview in Monza, many of my teammates were ahead of him in qualifying. I respect the dominance of others and Lewis's titles in the past," Verstappen said.
"In my view, it doesn't need to be about others' teammates. It's about your own performance, how you perform in your race weekends and how you work together with your team. The rest is secondary. Maybe there's a bit of jealousy. Good for Netflix? That doesn't concern me much either," he added.
The comments have once again divided the fanbase as they always do but while others might not see it, this recent back-and-forth might just be a good thing for F1.
The sport needs a rivalry and Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen is the best kind
It's fair to say that Max Verstappen has turned Lewis Hamilton and almost every other driver into his whipping boy in the last two years and at some point the sport needs a rivalry. It wasn't too long before we had a season for the ages in 2021. The competition was elite and there was something to look forward to in every race as the emotions soared.
However, over the last couple of years, that has changed. Verstappen does not have competition or rivalry anymore. His combination with Red Bull has truly ascended to a different level and left everything behind. The biggest obstacle to a race win these days for Verstappen is a potential broken or defective part that could hamper him.
Other than that, there's hardly anyone. With Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton starting to speak up, it ignites a rivalry, that has been brewing for a couple of years now. And who can even forget the 2021 F1 season where this duo set the world alight?
Whether we like it or not, Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen has been the best kind of rivalry in a while. Hamilton, the most famous driver on the grid against Verstappen, is a driver with his own cult following. It's safe to say that our sport needs a rivalry to make things interesting and this might be the best one that could organically pick up pace.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are starting to get rattled by this dominance
If there's something obvious right now then it is the somewhat restless nature of the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton combo. The way both Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton jumped to dismiss the dominance did show that there was a level of insecurity as well.
Having said that, the other side of the situation is what is a bit exciting where both Hamilton and Wolff made it clear that they intend to be Red Bull's closest challenger. The German team is trying to separate itself from an already growing chasing pack and like it or not, these comments are a sign of motivation and urgency to get back to the top.
As a fan, one can't really tell much if Mercedes has made any recent breakthroughs with its car. One thing is certain for sure, the Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes duo are now ready to fight and are not a fan of turning up and offering no challenge to Red Bull and Max every week.
Conclusion
Even though it's fair to say that some of these back and forth lend a hard to unwanted toxicity in the sport, it's hard to deny that the sport needs competition and rivalry.
It's fair to say that it will take some time for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton to become a challenge for Max Verstappen and Red Bull on the track but if the off-track banter slowly morphs into a battle on track then there's nothing better.
Especially in a season where even Verstappen admits that the worst he can finish in a race is second.
