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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Moxon

F1 rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen told to bury the hatchet and work together

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been urged to put aside their differences and work together to combat the rise in tribalism and poor fan behaviour in Formula 1.

The conduct of race-goers is in the spotlight after multiple reports of horrific abuse suffered by some fans at the hands of their fellow spectators at the Austrian Grand Prix. Some victims took to social media to report experiences of racism, homophobia and misogyny.

F1 released a statement condemning such behaviour and said they were working with the race promotor to improve security. And Hamilton responded to the news with an Instagram post in which he said he was "disgusted".

Verstappen also spoke out, and called for more steps to be taken to ensure the safety of fans at a race weekend. "One thing that can be improved is the security around places to keep people more in check," said the Dutchman.

"These things can be regulated. There is a certain amount of alcohol a person should have until it is time to go to bed and wake up sober the next morning because if you start to go crazy, you can do stupid things."

Given their huge fanbases and prominence as arguably the two biggest names on the current grid, Hamilton and Verstappen have a large platform to speak out on such issues. And they have been urged to set aside their personal rivalry from last season to work together to help bring about positive change.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were both on the podium in Austria (REUTERS)

"I think it's the age gap, it's a generational thing," said former racer David Coulthard when assessing their frosty relationship on Channel 4 . "Lewis and Max just don't have a connection, that is there with Charles [Leclerc] and Carlos [Sainz] and Lando [Norris] and George [Russell], all these guys of a generation.

"And that maybe doesn't seem like much, 10 or 11 years or whatever the age gap is, but in sport that's more than a generation. I actually would like to see them both get their arms around each other's shoulders and make a statement to the fans of Formula 1.

"We heard some booing for Max at Silverstone – I really don't feel comfortable with that in Formula 1. I'm all for who you want to support, but let's be sporting, let's make this something which is respectful."

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