LEWIS HAMILTON’s career in Formula One has spanned 14 incredible years.
During that time he has banged wheels with some of F1‘s best.
From Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button to Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg, Hamilton has gone wheel-to-wheel with some impressive drivers.
Here, BASTIAN VETTEL
The Background
Hamilton and Vettel made their F1 debut in the same season – 2007 – but in very different circumstances.
While Hamilton was at a leading team in McLaren, Vettel made his debut for backmarkers, Sauber.
So far, their careers have criss-crossed meaning they never really went head-to-head for the title until the last few seasons.
The Flashpoints
When Vettel was winning all his four-titles for Red Bull – between 2010 and 2013 – Hamilton would often take time to praise his car, rather than the German’s achievements.
But the biggest coming together came at the Azerbaijan GP in 2017 in a clear act of road rage that should have seen Vettel banned.
He deliberately rammed his Ferrari into Hamilton’s Merc as they prepared for a restart behind a safety car.
Vettel was given a ten-second penalty and later apologised but finished ahead of the Brit in the race.
The Verdict
We have been denied the chance to see these two racers really go up against each other.
Red Bull’s initial dominance and Mercedes’ recent position as the team to beat, plus Ferrari’s failure to challenge for titles means that Hamilton and Vettel now are fairly chummy.
MAX VERSTAPPEN
The Background
This is the rivalry F1 fans hope catches fire.
Verstappen has the potential to fight Hamilton for wins and his straight-talking and aggressive driving promises to keep the world champion on his toes.
The Flashpoints
Sadly, there have been few squabbles on track but there has been in their remarks about each other.
Hamilton once called Verstappen ‘a d***head’ post the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix while Hamilton also dismissed Verstappen’s comments that Hamilton wasn’t ‘God’.
It got short-shrift from the Brit, who said: “I find it funny seeing that.
“I have just always known to do my talking on the track. I tend to see that as a sign of weakness.”
The Verdict
It is an interesting one.
Hamilton says he wants more challenge for race wins, because he is not getting much in the way of competition.
But could Verstappen offer more than he bargained for?
Their dynamic over the next few years will be fascinating – providing both are in competitive cars.
