Lewis Hamilton shows true colours with unprompted Max Verstappen comment at FIA ceremony
Lewis Hamilton showed his class when heaping praise on Max Verstappen at the FIA prize-giving Gala in Azerbaijan. The Mercedes star hailed his rival whilst collecting his third-place trophy, but made sure that he sent a word of warning to the rest of the grid when assessing his hopes ahead of next season.
Hamilton was present at the ceremony for the first time since 2020, with Formula One regulations ruling that the top three in the Drivers’ Championship must attend the gala. The 38-year-old was in high spirits on the night, despite only picking up the third-placed trophy.
Upon receiving his award, Hamilton was asked about how he felt the season panned out for him, to which he replied: “Good evening everyone, I just want to wish everyone a big, congratulations on this year.
“For everyone, it has been a very, very long season and very much looking forward to the winter break. We’re working very, very hard on making sure we come back strong next year, I must say a big congratulations to Red Bull, Verstappen and Checo, they’ve done an incredible job this year.
“Max Verstappen was faultless. Max and all of his team really raised the bar and we have a lot of work to close that gap, but I truly do believe that we can close that gap.” Hamilton then went on to thank his Mercedes team for the support they have provided him throughout the season, providing them with a major vote of confidence despite recently opening up on the struggles he has endured in 2023.
