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LEWIS HAMILTON and Mercedes are ‘bullying’ Max Verstappen and ‘not paying fair’, according to former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.In one of the greatest battles of all time, seven-time champion Hamilton and Dutch youngster Verstappen head into the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi level on points.
Verstappen and Hamilton collided once again in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Sky Sports
Ecclestone believes Verstappen has been mistreated by Hamilton and MercedesCredit: Getty
The rivalry has been an intense one, with crashes between the pair occurring at both the British and Italian Grands Prix.
And that competitive nature between both camps reared its head once more last weekend in a dramatic race in Saudi Arabia.
In a race that included two red flags, multiple crashes and five non-finishers, Hamilton and Verstappen exchanged the lead numerous times with the Brit eventually coming out on top.
But not before the pair crashed into one another on lap 37.
Verstappen slowed down to let Hamilton past having been ordered to give the place back, but the Mercedes driver was confused and ended up ramming into the back of the Dutchman.
Hamilton insisted Verstappen had ‘brake-tested’ him, while Verstappen maintained he was simply trying to let the Brit past.
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All these incidents have mounted up throughout the season and Ecclestone believes Hamilton and Mercedes are playing a game to bully his title rival.
Speaking to AFP, the ex-F1 chief said: “Max is a kid compared to Lewis and the worst thing is Lewis has a massive publicity campaign working for him.
“They have been pushing down all the time on Max and then the race directors have been looking in because Toto goes to the race director.
“Max has more than a race to confront as he has them too on his back because they are bullying him and not playing fair. It is psychological game playing.
“Max has had a few years of racing but has not had years in the streets like Lewis.

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“It has built character and knowing he would win the race with Mercedes being the dominant force over the past few years has made him a much stronger character than Max.
“For Max, this season is the first one he has had a car capable of winning regularly whereas before it was nothing like competitive.”
With the pair level on points but Verstappen having one more race win than Hamilton, essentially the Brit simply needs to better his world title rival in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
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If the pair both crash out then Verstappen will be crowned the world champion.
Mercedes have not lost a drivers’ championship since Sebastian Vettel on the last of his four successive titles with Red Bull in 2013. More

FORMULA 1 will ‘fine-tune’ the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix but it will not be overhauled despite being described as ‘scary’ by Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.There were a host of crashes throughout the weekend in Jeddah as the new circuit’s debut on the F1 calendar brought with it both drama and danger.
There were numerous crashes during the Saudi Arabia GP weekendCredit: Rex
Schumacher went into the barriers during the raceCredit: Rex
Vettel, who did not finish the race, came together with Raikkonen and was then spun by TsunodaCredit: Rex
A series of incidents occurred in the F1 race throughout the practice sessions and race itself, with five of the 20 cars failing to finish on Sunday.
And there was also a horror collision in the F2 race when Enzo Fittipaldi smashed into the back of Theo Pourchaire after he stalled on the grid.
Yet despite all of the accidents – and two race restarts in the F1 race due to red flags – FIA race director Michael Masi does not believe there needs to be wholesale change to the track.
He told motorsport.com: “I think here in Saudi Arabia they’ve done a brilliant job of putting this amazing facility together in such a short time frame, which is a credit to everyone involved.
“There is some fine-tuning that will happen across the board. There were some teething issues [with it] being a brand new event, brand new facility, on the whole of things.
“There’ll be some fine-tuning but nothing in a major way that I envisage here and now.”
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Leclerc crashed into the barriers during the second practice sessionCredit: AFP
Perez was clipped by Leclerc at the first restartCredit: Splash
The alarm bells were ringing in the F1 paddock during the weekend as it became apparent the risks that were being taken to navigate the circuit.
And Red Bull driver Perez was one of the first to vocalise his concern for the safety of those in the cars.
Speaking after qualifying but ahead of the race, he said: “It’s a really nice circuit, very dangerous though in terms of there is a lot of straights that are turning, cornering and blind corners.
“When you look at some of the onboards it’s quite scary. I hope nothing [bad] happens tomorrow.
“I just feel the track is a bit too risky without reason, with the speeds we are doing with the deltas around the track from some other cars, and it’s a bit unnecessary.”
Lewis Hamilton went on to win the Saudi Arabia GP ahead of world title rival Max Verstappen after a remarkable battle between the pair.

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Hamilton and Verstappen are now LEVEL on points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
The 24-year-old Dutchman holds a slender advantage ahead of the title decider having won nine races compared to Hamilton’s eight.
But the seven-time champion is on a three-race winning streak and will be confident he can clinch a record-breaking eighth championship. More

F1 heads to Abu Dhabi this weekend for its season finale following last Sunday’s thrilling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.But rather than make the short hop across the Middle East, Max Verstappen took a whopping five-hour detour back home to Monaco.
Max Verstappen began dating Kelly Piquet late last yearCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
The brunette beauty is daughter of F1 legend NelsonCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
The Red Bull man jetted back to Europe to see his girlfriend and welcome a new addition to the family.
His partner Kelly is the daughter of F1 legend Nelson Piquet and this week celebrates her 33rd birthday.
Verstappen combined those festivities with seeing his sister Victoria, who has given birth for the second time.
Flying from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi usually takes around two hours.
But Verstappen opted for additional travel time as he flew home after finishing second at the brand new Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The flight from Monaco back to Abu Dhabi is an hour longer, meaning the 24-year-old will have spent 11 hours in the air before the Yas Marina decider.
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Verstappen is due back in the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Grand PrixCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
Kelly is celebrating her 33rd birthdayCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
She has previously dated Verstappen’s fellow F1-driver Daniil KvyatCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
And he will have to cross three time zones to get back for the crunch race.
Verstappen is level on points with Lewis Hamilton in the driver standings going into the final round of the season.
The Dutch whizzkid has finished second to seven-time champion Hamilton in each of the last three races.
He is still top of the championship given his superior 9-8 race win tally compared to the Mercedes man.
But all eyes will be on the leader’s tactics this weekend, with some pundits fearing he could pull off an unfair stunt to force an error from Hamilton.
Hamilton v Verstappen: Their careers in numbers More