F1 News: David Coulthard Dismisses Lewis Hamilton's Teammates Jibe Against Max Verstappen
Former F1 driver David Coulthard disagrees with Lewis Hamilton's statements, claiming that he faced stronger teammates than Max Verstappen. While the Ex-Red Bull driver praised both parties for being 'exceptional drivers,' he also added that at the end of the day, what matters is who your competitors are.
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have been struggling with their W13 and W14 cars after the 2021 ground effect rules kicked in, thus forcing the teams to entirely modify their approach to producing more downforce with their cars.
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The last two seasons have proven to be excellent wins for Red Bull. This year, the Milton Keynes outfit left no room for any other competitor to win a race just yet, while the Grand Prix at Monza saw Verstappen claim his record for ten-in-a-row race wins.
Speaking to Sky Italia, Hamilton recently went on to say that Verstappen has not faced tough teammates as he has, in Formula 1. However, Coulthard disagreed with the Mercedes driver before presenting a rather diplomatic win-win-for-all answer. He told Formula 1.com:
“I know Lewis had made a comment that he [Verstappen] does not have tough team-mates.
"First of all, that’s not the case, and second of all it’s not actually about who your team-mate is, it’s about who your competitors are, and his biggest competitor so far has been Lewis.
"And they have been unbelievable in the way they have gone wheel-to-wheel, and performed, and really delivered some great results. Whether you are a Mercedes fan, a Ferrari fan, it doesn’t matter.
"This sport brings exceptional drivers. Lewis is an exceptional driver, Fernando is an exceptional driver, Max is an exceptional driver, and this is just the facts.
"And in wait we have Charles [Leclerc], Carlos [Sainz], Lando [Norris], George, and the list goes on. These guys have shown great potential but are yet to win multiple races and championships.”
Red Bull could just be another race away from winning the Constructors' Championship. But for that, they'll have to rely on Mercedes to not score a point. In addition, Verstappen and Sergio Perez will have to secure positions 1 and 2 on the podium.
