Lewis Hamilton has compared the recent spat between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to the family dramas in Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
In what proved a dominant campaign for Red Bull, Verstappen sealed the title in Japan with four Grand Prix races to spare, and finished 146 points of nearest rival Charles Leclerc. The team also took a first Constructors' crown since 2013, as Perez finished third overall.
But the latter part of their season was overshadowed by disharmony between the two drivers, with Verstappen refusing to give up a place in Brazil to help his partner's bid to finish second in the 2022 standings. A furious Perez said over team radio that the world champion "had showed who he really is," but the Dutchman insisted he had his reasons.
Then came a subsequently-deleted social media post from Verstappen’s mother, Sophie Kumpen, which appeared to suggest Perez had been unfaithful to his wife. And in a sit-down interview with Channel 4, Hamilton had his say on the recent Red Bull saga.
“It feels like the Kardashian show, it’s pretty hilarious,” said Hamilton with a smile. “Some of the stuff I’ve heard in the past few days has been so entertaining. There was somebody’s mother posting something. It was pretty interesting stuff. I’m sure it’ll be in Netflix [Drive to Survive], it’s going to be great.”
That wan't the only controversy to arise from Sao Paulo though, with Hamilton and Verstappen colliding on the track early on. It prompted memories of their epic 2021 title battle, where the pair clashed on numerous occasions before the Red Bull man took the crown in controversial fashion in Abu Dhabi.
It was a far cry from Verstappen's racing with Leclerc this year, and Hamilton implied his past success in the sport fuelled a different approach towards him from rivals: "All you have to do is listen to the words certain individuals say about me, competitor-wise," he said.
"And then look back at the way those individuals behave on track around me, It shows you it’s a little bit different to others. I can’t explain exactly why but part of it, I’m sure, is due to the time I’ve had here [in F1 ], the experience I’ve had, the success I’ve had."
The seven-time world champion did concede that when he started out with McLaren in 2007, he too was keen to prove himself against the best: "I know because when I came into the sport, that target was on someone else who’d had success and my goal was to challenge them," he continued. "You almost wanted to show how tough you were, show how good you are compared to that person.”
