MAX VERSTAPPEN has stoked up his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton by warning the Brit he faces a hostile reception in Holland.
Hamilton was jeered by the boo-boys at the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix by Verstappen’s Orange Army.
But Hamilton hopes his arrival in Holland, wearing orange – which is the colour of the national team’s football kit – will be able to quell the jeers.
Tensions boiled over earlier in the season after Hamilton’s wild celebrations at Silverstone – despite him crashing into Verstappen on the first lap, a huge shunt that resulted in the Dutchman going to hospital for checks.
And while race bosses have appealed for calm, Verstappen says it is not up to him to stop his fans from booing him at their home race.
He said: “Well, I look at it like this: you know when you go to a football match, you come into a home ground, the opposition will be booed at some point.
“It is not up to the local club to go onto the speakers and say ‘guys, you cannot boo’, because it will naturally happen.
“They are very passionate and they will support their local team.
BETTING SPECIAL – GET £60 IN FREE BETS ON ANY WORLD CUP QUALIFIER WITH BETFAIR
“I don’t think it is up to me to then say ‘guys, you cannot boo’ because I am not them and I have to just focus on what I am doing on the track and I am sure most of them are here for just a great weekend to see cars racing.
“Of course, some of them will boo but I cannot decide for them. I can say ‘you cannot do this’ but do you really think they are going to listen to me?
“I just hope they will have a good weekend.”
Through gritted teeth Hamilton claimed the booing actually spurs him on, however, after more heckles last Sunday in Spa he accused them of having “hate in their hearts.”
After the farce at Spa, Hamilton wrote on Instagram: “I’d like to just thank each and every one of you here at the race supporting me #teamlh.
“I know you sat in the rain all day and it’s miserable but knowing you are here encourages me to push and never give up.
“I also know you stand alongside a lot of people who boo me and have hate in their hearts towards me so thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me.
“Love conquers all and we gotta whole lot of love to give.”
Verstappen says hearing his fans turn on his championship rival won’t give him any extra motivation in this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
He added: “That would be bad if it gives me an added boost.
“So as long as it doesn’t affect Lewis, I guess that is what you want to hear right? So that is the most important.
“What I hope from the whole weekend is that everyone is having a good time and they enjoy seeing the cars on track and seeing us battling out there for the best possible result.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen says George Russell’s move to Mercedes will “make life difficult” for Hamilton.
Russell’s switch is expected to be confirmed next week as he replaces Valtteri Bottas, which Verstappen thinks could unsettle the seven-time world champ.
He said: “If he joins for sure he will make it very difficult for Lewis. He jumped into the car in Bahrain and basically was already making it very difficult for Valtteri.
“You can only imagine the more experience you gain in that car and the more you get accustomed within the team, naturally you’re going to be becoming faster.
“So, I’m very confident [in Russell]. You could see the performance he did at Spa was really good. I do expect him to do very well if he gets that seat.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
