F1 News: Lewis Hamilton And Max Verstappen Shock Fans With "Wholesome" Spanish GP Moment
F1 fans have been joking about a surprisingly sweet moment between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the Spanish Grand Prix podium yesterday.
Verstappen and Hamilton have had a tricky on-track relationship over the years, with many collisions and awkward off-track encounters and tensions peaking at the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Although there has always been mutual respect between the drivers, it was rare to see a moment like yesterday.
The Dutch driver took the top spot on the podium in Barcelona, winning the race by a country mile, and Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell took second and third, respectively. During the podium celebrations, the two F1 champion's could be seen joking and smiling together as well as toasting their iconic Ferrari champagne.
Fans loved seeing the pair battle it out during the hybrid era which came to a close at the end of the 2021 season. However, Mercedes' struggles in the early stages of the ground effect era compared to Red Bull's ongoing incredible dominance, there has not been the opportunity to see Verstappen and Hamilton resume their rivalry. The latter is still incredibly motivated to win his eighth championship but is having to be patient for the team to deliver a car which can take him there.
After photos of the moment being shared to social media, fans have been celebrating the two drivers coming together again. One fan shared to Reddit:
"So good to see Max and Lewis not only sharing the podium but also lots of jokes and smiles!"
Another fan commented that they noticed a moment during 2022 between the two drivers which gave an indication that their relationship had improved. They wrote:
"Even in the 2022 season their relationship improved. I first noticed when Lewis was talking about playing the Senna game and Max asked if it had porpoising. It wasn't a joke at Mercedes because they all had porpoising.
"They weren't in a heated title fight anymore and didn't see the other as an opponent or the villain anymore."
Someone else is clearly missing some of the battles as they commented:
"I hope we get the chance to see a sort of “round two” with the same competitiveness of 2021 but with none of the poor behaviours and manufactured drama."
Another fan commented:
"It's wholesome, seeing both of them together smile, heals nature"
In terms of the relationship between the two drivers, it seems the change of era was needed. Hamilton was ready to come back in "fight mode" for 2022 after missing out on his eighth championship and emotions were clearly high between them. However, as it became more apparent that Mercedes had their own struggles with the W13 cars and Red Bull were also suffering from some unreliability at this point, the two drivers' had other things to focus on.
Although fans would love to see Verstappen and Hamilton battling it out at the front of the grid again, if and when this does happen, it seems it will be in a different manner.
It reminds us of the relationship between Hamilton and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel which was extremely fraught and intense when it their rivalry reached it's peak. But, as time went on the iconic duo formed mutual respect for one another and became close friends.