F1: Max Verstappen wary of hate over Lewis Hamilton collisions

Hamilton and Verstappen have collided on multiple occasions in the last two seasons

Max Verstappen remains clueless as to why he and Lewis Hamilton cannot keep their racing clean while battling on track. The Dutch racer enjoys a clean record while battling against other drivers like Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and even Hamilton's Mercedes teammate George Russell.

However, he and Hamilton have collided on multiple occasions in the last two seasons, with the two biggest hits coming at Silverstone and Monza in 2021. It was during a contentious season that saw Mercedes and Red Bull at war for most of the campaign as the Dutchman went on to claim his maiden title in controversial fashion.

In 2022, Verstappen and Hamilton were kept apart due to Mercedes' inability to build a competitive car. It was only in the final few races of the season that the Silver Arrows team was able to compete with the dominant Red Bull car, and it was inevitable that the duo again had an altercation.

"I have to be careful what I'm saying here," Verstappen said, as quoted on GP Fans. "But with everyone I've been fighting, it's been really hard, aggressive battles and we never really came together."

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton (left) and Red Bull's Max Verstappen collided during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza AFP / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

"Somehow, with Lewis, it's a different story. And I honestly don't understand."

The Dutchman and the Briton were challenging for second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix when the former made a move on the inside of Turn 2. Hamilton refused to concede, and the two made contact, ruining both their chances to fight for the win. Verstappen was penalised, which he thought was harsh.

"Like, this year, okay we haven't really had a lot of battles. But Brazil we got together. It was not my intention [that we crashed]. I got the blame for it, which I didn't find fair," he added.

"But I don't understand. Maybe it's just a generation thing (referring to Leclerc and Russell), that we understand each other better, we are racing nicer to each other. I don't get it."

Verstappen is unsure about any changes he can make to change the outcome the next time he fights for position with Hamilton. The Dutchman was wary about making any more comments, as he feels the British media will take his words out of context and portray it to be criticism aimed towards the seven-time world champion.