Motorsports
Horner: ‘I’ve never heard Hamilton recognize Verstappen’s abilities’
“Some of Max’s overtakes over the past year have been stunning and you could tell Lewis was starting to irritate him,” said the RBR director, speaking about Lewis Hamilton’s “explosive” duel with Max Verstappen for the 2021 F1 championship.
Max Verstappen is heading towards his second consecutive title of Formula One career this year – thanks to both Ferrari and Mercedes’ troubles this year – with much less stress than last year when he was battling with Lewis Hamilton who was in the crosshairs of the controversial decisions of the then FIA race director Michael Massi at the Abu Dhabi GP.
The tension of the past year reached its peak not only in the season finale, but also earlier in the duels between the two title contenders at Silverstone and Monza. At the British circuit in particular, their clash culminated in Verstappen’s 51G power collision at Copse’s turning barriers and tension escalated, both in public statements from both sides.
Today, nine months after the 2021 championship ended, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said this year’s battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc involves a lot more respect between the two drivers than last year’s Lewis Hamilton.
“You know, there’s a difference, there’s a little bit of a different respect with Charles.”said the Brit. “As kids they were rivals in the race and there was a mutual respect. I’ve never heard Lewis acknowledge Max’s abilities. There was also a bit of fuel for the fire between them and you could feel that between them.”
Horner said after the incident at Silverstone last year that Hamilton “Ride like an amateur” and accused the Brit of celebrating his victory there while Verstappen was in hospital. He has now admitted that Hamilton deserves everyone’s full respect for what he has achieved in Formula One – but added that last year’s struggle had both a psychological and racing impact on Hamilton.
“I think that’s how it happened, maybe more in Lewis’ head. Because he’s the seven-time world champion with everything to lose, Max is the new risk-taking driver who gives everything he has and has nothing to lose .” Some of his passes over the last year have been stunning and you could tell Lewis was getting irritated.” Horner continued.
“We saw after Lewis took pole at Silverstone that he was ‘broken’ when Max won the sprint race. If Max had gone through Copse corner I don’t think they would ever have seen him again.” in the afternoon so there was also a hint of desperation in the air, the stakes were high and emotions were running high, but maybe it hit Lewis harder than Max because he had more to lose, Max just had something to win.” added the Brit.
Shortly after last year’s championship ended, Hamilton said on new Netflix documentary Drive to Survive that Verstappen was “aggressive as hell” when driving, saying that like many drivers he’s met in his career, he’s tried, to harass him on the track.
Alongside the two drivers, Horner also explained what went on between himself and Mercedes F1 Director Toto Wolff behind the scenes of the Silverstone race. “There was suddenly an endless dialogue between Toto and Michael (Massey). Then he (Wolf) emailed him and (Massey) replied. And then I thought ‘ok, I’m not going to like this’, I’m going to intervene.
It was incredibly one sided that no team manager could step in and influence the GM and mid game I had a very tense conversation with Toto. In that race, with Toto pushing his view that his driver should not be penalized, I had a driver in hospital and the car out of the race and obviously I was very disappointed with what happened.”
And then he spoke about the events of Abu Dhabi, Horner concluded: “I can imagine that it was pushed to the limit in Abu Dhabi, where Toto tried at several points in the race to prevent the safety car from coming out in order not to change the course of the race. From the moment I heard it, my first reaction was to make sure offense is the best defense, because the last person to whisper into someone else’s ear has the greatest impact.
I think the crucial element was (Nicolas) Latifi’s accident and the immediate exit of the safety vehicle with the priority of restarting the race. The only mistake made was not allowing the last two cars to overtake and get onto the lap. But that wouldn’t have made the slightest difference, the result would have been identical to what was produced.”
Source: sport 24
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.
Former Formula 1 driver Riccardo Patrese believes 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli has the chance to compete for the championship in his second season.
With changes to the technical rules, the power order in the starting lineup for the 2026 season may change significantly. Patrese added that Antonelli has already shown that he can be among the names to compete for the championship:
“If Mercedes builds the best car under the new rules, Antonelli should focus on fighting Russell, as he has already shown he can do, and the rest will follow,” Patrese said.
“To the championship title!” he replied when asked how far the young Italian could go next year.
If Antonelli manages to win the championship next season, he will become the first driver to win the title in his second season since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Patrese recorded Antonelli’s first year:
“He made his debut, had to learn everything and coped well with the inevitable mistakes that come with lack of experience. I really enjoyed it, he showed pure class moments.”
Antonelli took three podium finishes in his debut season, including an impressive weekend at Interlagos and a spectacular comeback at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
A 2002 McLaren MP4-17A will go up for auction at RM Sotheby’s in Paris in 2026. Competing in 12 Grands Prix, the chassis was driven by Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, achieving five podiums and one victory. The estimated price of the land is between 1,000,000 and 1,400,000 Euros.
The car was designed under the guidance of the legendary Adrian Newey. Although the MP4-17 initially showed inconsistent performance, it was later able to compete with the dominant Ferrari F2002 and regularly achieve podium finishes.
Chassis number 6 appeared in the middle of the 2002 season and was mainly used by Raikkonen, who replaced Mika Hakkinen in the team. The Finnish driver immediately finished third in the European Grand Prix, followed by second in France and third in the USA.
In 2003, the same chassis updated and driven by Coulthard won the season opener in Australia, marking the Scot’s 13th and final Formula One victory.
The car’s last race was at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, driven by Raikkonen, who finished second behind Rubens Barrichello, also of Ferrari. That season the championship was won by Michael Schumacher, who finished eighth in the race.
The car retains its original 2002 West livery and Räikkönen number 4 and is powered by a 3.0-litre Mercedes-Benz FO110 V10 engine. A complete restoration is required for reuse on the track.
Following its racing career, the car was stored at McLaren for 17 years and was purchased by its current owner in 2021. For fans of the early 2000s, this land is a unique investment and historical value.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
About a year ago, Alpin decided to abandon Renault power plants and prefer Mercedes engines as of the 2026 season. The team came to the conclusion that its own engines had become a limiting factor in the fight for good results and sacrificed the status of the works team for the sake of customer cooperation with the German manufacturer, which was considered the favorite of the new technical regulations.
At the same time, the situation with Mercedes engines remains tense. Competitors are analyzing the possible use of thermal expansion to increase the compression ratio above the 16:1 limit in race conditions. While Honda, Ferrari and Audi may insist on breaches of the rules, Mercedes claims the rules were fully followed during static checks.
Despite the risks of the customer model, Enston is confident in the correctness of the choice. In 2026, the same engines will be used by McLaren, Williams and Mercedes factory teams, which will further intensify the competition. Of particular note is Williams, who finished the season under James Vowles in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Alpine. This increases the pressure on the French team, but Pierre Gasly believes betting on Mercedes will allow them to compete at the front of the peloton from the start of Formula 1’s new era.
“We are opening a new chapter with Mercedes and given their CV and the number of championships, I am sure it will be a great adventure.”
“I’m not going to lie, I’m really excited about it. From what I hear, the Mercedes engine is in very good shape at the moment.”
“So I’m looking forward to the first test and the feeling that the Mercedes force is behind me. I have very high expectations for our team next year.”
“We made tactical sacrifices in 2025 so we can start 2026 on the right steps. I want to fight at the front of the peloton next season.”
“I don’t see any reason why we can’t be among the leaders at this point.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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