Formula One Scrum: Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen Pummeled By Criticisms

When a driver is at the top of the motorsports food chain, getting podium finishes in Formula One, the level of scrutiny one is exposed to is something else. That’s clear with recent criticism of both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But the reasons both have been skewered are leagues apart.

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For Hamilton, it’s the fact the man seems to have beaten himself, lacking confidence to the point his on-track performance is lackluster. You know things are bad when Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has to step in and tell fans to “calm down” about the situation.

In a RacingNews365 interview, Vasseur asserted that the adjustment Hamilton is going through would be expected. He then seemingly blamed some of the driver’s struggles on the new car, although he admitted everyone on the grid deals with the same thing.

Many are saying Hamilton is too old, that his best years are behind him and he can’t compete with the new crop of drivers like Max Verstappen and even teammate Charles Leclerc. Considering previous predictions of the man getting well over 12 podium finishes this season aren’t aging well, we expect the criticisms to continue.

Speaking of Verstappen, after finishing second in Saudi Arabia he’s being called out for “unprofessional and disrespectful” behavior on the podium. That’s some of the scathing criticism retired F1 driver Johnny Herbert had for the Dutch racer, reports the Independent.

Verstappen was clearly annoyed at the five-second penalty he was given after he ran all four tires off the track on turn one of the first lap. One would assume Max believes that was what cost him the number one spot at the finish line, although he boldly refused to answer media questions afterwards which would give away his thoughts on the topic.

What’s more, Herbert and others thought Verstappen’s moping demeanor on the podium, taking a swig of his rose water before slinking off instead of celebrating with Oscar Piastri or Charles Leclerc was just plain disrespectful.

We’d rather he express his disappointment in a more controlled manner than throwing the bottle or a few verbal barbs at Piastri, with whom he was mixing it up going into turn one. But when you’re under the microscope while competing at such a high level, everyone will have an opinion on every  little thing you do, win or lose, as Hamilton and Verstappen both know so well.

Image via lewishamilton/Instagram, maxverstappen1/Instagram