Hamilton understands why he was targeted by Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton believes his status in Formula 1 is the main reason Max Verstappen sees him as his main target.

The 2022 season marked the first time in the seven-time world champion’s career that he failed to win a single race, while Verstappen set a new Formula 1 record with 15 wins. With the speed capabilities of the Mercedes and Red Bull Racing cars being different, the two drivers rarely had to meet in on-track battles, as their fundamental confrontation in 2021 continued until the final lap of the final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Last season, however, an episode took place in Brazil, after which Hamilton said: “It is quite normal that when you are successful, you become a kind of target for rivals. This is nothing new to me.”

It was about the incident with Verstappen at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, for which the Dutchman was fined and finished sixth in that race, while Hamilton climbed to the podium and his teammate, George Russell, took his maiden victory.

“Just listen to what some opponents say about me. And also remember what actions these people take against me on the track,” Hamilton shared in an interview with British television channel Channel 4. “This suggests that they behave differently with me than with the rest. I can’t explain exactly why this happens, but of course this is due to my success.

I understand all this because I remember when I came to Formula 1 in 2007 the goal was another successful racer, and I set myself the goal of beating him. You could say I wanted to show how cool I am: I always wanted to show how good I am compared to that rider.”

Hamilton is reportedly referring to his rivalry with Fernando Alonso, then two-time world champion, when they were teammates at McLaren in 2007. As the season progressed, their relationship gradually escalated and as a result the Spaniard decided to leave the team and return to Renault .