Lewis Hamilton has been having a rough 2021 season, especially after Monaco Grand Prix.
He is currently in a head-to-head fight with Red Bull ace driver Max Verstappen and from the looks of it, the fight might continue of till the end of the season.
Verstappen dominated the Monaco street circuit and for the first time in his career, is leading the championship. Also, this is the first time that Mercedes is facing a pumped-up Red Bull.
Former Red Bull driver, David Coulthard, has revealed how Hamilton has a different approach to handling Verstappen as compared to any other driver, including his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton sees Verstappen as a threat
After a close win in Bahrain, Hamilton has realised that Verstappen will be a major threat to his dominance. Hamilton finished just a second ahead of the Dutchman who then went on to win the next race in Imola.
The two drivers were constantly in the top two till the race in Monaco where Hamilton managed a lowly P7. This just shows the amount of effort Hamilton has to put to attempt his record-breaking eighth title this season.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Coulthard mentioned how Hamilton is more cautious with Verstappen. This is in comparison to other drivers including Bottas.
The Briton said, “What Lewis has noticed is that if he hadn’t taken the first corner at Imola and Barcelona, there would have been a crash.
“Lewis is smart enough now to realise Max is coming. Lewis wouldn’t think twice about slamming the door for Valtteri or any other driver.”
The future is Verstappen
Verstappen, currently just 23, has proved himself to be a contender for the world championship. Coulthard thinks that very soon, there will be the dawn of the ‘Verstappen era’.
“He has the skills and is a man for the coming seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that we will see a shift from the Hamilton era to the Verstappen era,” said the 50-year-old.
With Baku fast approaching, Hamilton will be looking to redeem himself. Currently, the Brit stands four points behind the Dutchman.
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