Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON is adamant he will not crack under the pressure of his intense F1 title fight with Max Verstappen.The rivalry has exploded on track with the two coming to blows at the British and Italian Grands Prix.
The pair were forced to retire at the Italian GP after a crashCredit: Getty
Lewis Hamilton is currently five points behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ ChampionshipCredit: AFP
Last out at Monza, Hamilton said he was lucky to be alive after Verstappen landed his Red Bull racecar on to the top of his Mercedes – earning the Dutchman a three-place grid penalty for this weekend’s Russian GP.
Hamilton, who is locked in to his 10th title fight, was quizzed whether Verstappen’s actions were showing he is struggling to cope with the added pressure.
He said: “Obviously he won’t admit to it, I’m not going to make an assumption.
“But I’m just saying I remember [my first one] was difficult. It was intense. I was going through a lot of different emotions, I didn’t always handle it the best. And that’s to be expected, it’s a lot of pressure.
“You’re working in a big team, there’s a lot of self-expectation and pressure because the desire to win is huge.”
While this is Verstappen’s first crack at the title, Hamilton almost won the crown on his debut season at McLaren in 2007.

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And he says that over his 15 years in the sport he had learnt how to cope with those expectations.
He added: “It’s a lot easier to handle than my first one. But I’ve been here a long time so it’s much easier to deal with it now.
“In my first year I was very young and didn’t have the tools to be able to handle the sort of pressures that were being put on me so it’s a lot different for me.”
Hamilton says he is feeling fine after suffering a bang to the head when Verstappen crashed into him in Italy.
TV footage has shown that the Brit was saved from serious injury by the halo cockpit protection.
But despite the serious smash, he does not expect the 23-year-old to change his aggressive driving style, even with his warning from the race stewards.
He said: “Naturally we’re battling for a championship. I remember what it was like battling for my first championship and obviously I’m fighting in my tenth battle
“But I remember what it was like and I know the pressures that come with it and the experience that go with it so I can empathise with that.
“I think what’s important is that we continue to race hard but fair. I have no doubt that we will both be professional and learn from the past.
“But I never expect a driver to back down. That’s not how I approach racing any drivers

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“I think ultimately we all have to be smart and know there’s a time that you’re not going to make a corner.
It’s all about making sure you live to fight the next corner. And that’s really just through experience you find that balance and you know that it’s not all won on one corner so there will be other opportunities.
“As I said, I know what it’s like having your first fight for your first championship and your eagerness, you go through lots of different experiences and emotions during that time.
“I do believe that we’ll continue to get stronger and I’m hopeful we won’t have any more incidents throughout the year.”
Lewis Hamilton inches from tragedy as Max Verstappen’s car LANDS on him in terrifying Italian GP crash More

RALF SCHUMACHER reckons Lewis Hamilton’s reaction to an Italian Grand Prix crash with Max Verstappen was exaggerated. The dramatic incident saw the two red hot rivals collide for the second time this season resulting in both being knocked out of the race. 
Lewis Hamilton, fortunately, came away relatively unscathed following a collision with Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand PrixCredit: Sportphoto24/Marco Canoniero
Verstappen’s tyre skimmed the top of Hamilton’s helmet during the race in MonzaCredit: AP
Slow-motion footage shows Versappen’s rear tyre on the right-hand side of his car had brushed Hamilton’s crash helmet during the accident. 
Observers claim the outcome of the incident could have been far worse had the halo not been in place to soften the impact. 
And the seven-time World Champion, 36, seemed to escape relatively unharmed with some strapping provided for his neck after stating it was stiff in the aftermath.
Schumacher, 46, who highlighted Hamilton attending the Met Gala days after the incident, told Sport1: “I think Lewis was too dramatising of it, considering that he flew to New York the next day to attend an event.”
The collision between Hamilton and Verstappen in Monza is the second crash involving the pair this year. 
The Belgian-born racer, 23, also collided with the Brit earlier in the year at the British Grand Prix. 

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And while Hamilton carried on, Verstappen was unable to continue. 
And his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo has suggested Verstappen is still upset about the crash. 
 Speaking to the Pardon My Take podcast, Ricciardo said: “I know Max, we were team-mates for a few years.
“That’s him, he is a competitor he’ll leave it on the track and that’s it.

“I guess he still maybe was carrying a bit of anger or a little bit of frustration from Silverstone.” 
Hamilton and Verstappen are expected to return to the track for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. 
The collision at Monza led to a three-place grid penalty for Verstappen which the F1 championship contender is expected to take this weekend. 
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

F1 LEGEND David Coulthard reckons Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will clash after becoming Mercedes team-mates.Hamilton, 36, is the No1 driver at Mercedes but Russell, 23, will be keen on winning his maiden world title in their colours.
George Russell will be Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at Mercedes next yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And F1 legend David Coulthard reckons the pair will clashCredit: Getty Images – Getty
As quoted by The Independent, Coulthard claimed it will ‘absolutely’ kick-off between the seven-time world champ and the youngster next year.
The retired British driver added: “It will be the making of George up against the driver of a couple of generations.
“This is where George Russell becomes the making of a future world champion.
“Because he hasn’t been pushed by any of his team-mates, it will be very different with Lewis.
“In the beginning, he will just be young and full of energy, he will be fresh and then he will get worn down by the relentlessness of Lewis.
“And that’s the point at which he will grow as a man.”

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Russell was confirmed as Hamilton’s partner for 2022 after Mercedes decided to drop Valtteri Bottas, 32, from their roster.
But chief Toto Wolff doesn’t want a repeat of Hamilton’s fierce rivalry with former team-mate Nico Rosberg that dominated the sport.
The Brit and the retired German endured a frosty relationship during their four-year spell as colleagues at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016.
Both drivers were competing for the Drivers’ Championship and Rosberg eventually won the title in 2016 before quitting the sport days later.
Hamilton and Nico Rosberg endured a frosty relationship at MercedesCredit: Getty
Discussing his new driver, Wolff said: “He has proven that he deserves to have a seat in a top car and now we need to get him properly adjusted into the Mercedes situation.
“There’s a lot more pressure, he’s having an unbelievable team-mate with the biggest records and there it’s important that you condition him and you calibrate him in the right way.
“We’ve seen situations in the past where they’ve failed. Lewis was part of one where I think the team didn’t quite understand how it could potentially go.
“I think we’re maybe a little bit better prepared for that situation but nevertheless, he has all the ambition to be a future world champion and so has Lewis, to add another one, so it’s about calibration.”
George Russell in profile after Mercedes move More

CARLOS SAINZ has suggested it is ‘pretty clear’ who was at fault for Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s horrific crash at the Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s Red Bull car landed on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes in a hugely controversial crash after the two collided going into turn one at Monza, putting both drivers out of the race.
Hamilton was saved by the halo on top of his car, which is designed to protect drivers from such incidentsCredit: AP
Sainz claims it is ‘clear’ who was to blame for the crash, calling it ‘avoidable’Credit: AP
Speaking about the incident after the race, Sainz said: “From my point of view, the accident is pretty clear.
“I’m not going to go into detail, I’m not going to give you my opinion because I feel like there’s going to be some talk [about it] in the next driver meeting.
“I think it is always avoidable. I think two don’t crash if one doesn’t want [to].
“They are fighting for a championship. You’re more exposed to these kinds of incidents [in that scenario], like we’ve seen in the past.
“I guess it’s a natural thing in Formula 1, two guys that are fighting for the championship tend to collide more often than not.”
Hamilton, 36, claimed that the corner was clearly his and his opponent should not have challenged for it, whilst Verstappen, 23, insisted that Hamilton ran him off the road.

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The seven-time world champion had just pitted and was returning to the track ahead of Verstappen, who tried to catch up with him, only to run out of track and crash into the sausage kerb.
This sent the Dutchman’s car up into the air and he landed on top of Hamilton, as the two cars skidded off the track.
Both ended up in the gravel and one of Verstappen’s tyres narrowly missed Hamilton’s head thanks to the halo which protects drivers from such incidents.
The halo was introduced back in 2018 and is an added safety feature now included on all F1 cars, acting as titanium ring of protection around the driver’s cockpit.
Hamilton narrowly avoided a potentially life-threatening injury and once the incident was investigated afterwards stewards, Verstappen was found to be at fault for the crash.
HORNER’S VIEW
Verstappen was penalised for the incident by receiving a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi next weekend.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said he believed the crash was the result of a racing incident, but went on to say that Red Bull would not appeal the stewards’ verdict.
“We are disappointed with the three place grid penalty, but accept the stewards decision,” he said.
“We felt what happened between Max and Lewis was a genuine racing incident.
“You can argue for both sides but ultimately it’s frustrating and disappointing to see both cars out of the race in what is proving to be an exciting championship.”

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Despite this, the Red Bull driver still has the advantage in the championship leaderboard with 226.5 points, whilst Hamilton remains in close second on 221.5 points.
This was the second time the two championship rivals collided this season after another controversial incident during the British Grand Prix put Verstappen out of the race and gave Hamilton a vital win.
The rivalry between the two is really hotting up with just eight races to go and this dramatic championship run-in will surely have more twists and turns before its conclusion in Abu Dhabi in December.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More