Max Verstappen fires back at Lewis Hamilton over 'fastest car' remark: 'It won’t help you'

Max Verstappen hit back at Lewis Hamilton after the Mercedes driver claimed this season's Red Bull car is the speediest car he has ever witnessed. Following a dominant 2022 season Verstappen has started this season where he left off in the last campaign. With two pole positions and three podium finishes the 25-year-old has already accumulated 69 points and has a pretty healthy edge over second-placed Sergio Perez.

Max Verstappen hits back at Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton insisted the Red Bull car is definitely the fastest.  “I’ve definitely never seen a car so fast.

“When we were fast we weren’t that fast. That’s the fastest car, I think, I’ve seen, especially compared to the rest, I don’t know why or how but he came past me with serious speed.

“I didn’t even bother to block because there was a massive speed difference… yep.”

In an interaction with Racingnews365, Max Verstappen rubbished Hamilton's claims. 

“I think if you look at the statistics, those statements are not correct.

“But we also have a very good car! There is of course nothing wrong with that. Yet we are not as dominant as Mercedes has shown in some years.”

He further added, “I don’t spend much time with that, but it won’t help you either.

“Whatever we have done in the eight years that Mercedes is so dominant… We also tried to close the gap, that’s all you can do!”

In a major development chief technical officer, Adrian Newey could be on his way out from Red Bull. According to former Formula One driver Damon Hill there could be clouds hovering over the future of Newey.

Hill revealed Newey could be poached by rival Mercedes as the lure to combine with the likes of Lewis Hamilton will be too hard to reject. In an interaction with the F1 Nation podcast, he opened up. “His success rate is unbelievable, every team he’s been to virtually he’s won a Constructors’ Championship, drivers’ titles, I’ve lost count how many, so he’s a key man and what he has to offer any team is invaluable.”

“I can’t help ignoring this thing he did in Bahrain, where he stood in front of the Mercedes on the grid, with his clipboard, and stood there for a long time looking at their front wings. Anybody who knows Adrian will go: ‘Wait a minute, he’s already got the most dominant car in F1, why’s he looking at the Mercedes front wings?’.

“Was he really looking at the front wings? Or was he just standing in front of a Mercedes saying: ‘I’m interested’. Is that what he was really saying?”