Verstappen astounded by Hamilton's life outside of F1

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Max Verstappen is amazed at Lewis Hamilton's life outside of F1, admitting the 2017 world champion's behaviour often leaves him "perplexed".

The Red Bull driver hasn't made a habit of keeping up with his rivals on social media, even cutting short his own time spent on the internet.

But he does take a peek once in a while, and is often amazed at what he sees when it comes to Hamilton.

"I don't follow many drivers on social media," Verstappen told De Telegraaf

"I follow Daniel (Ricciardo). And Lewis. And Pierre (Gasly) because he's a nice guy.

"When I see what Lewis does in his free time, I'm sometimes really perplexed. He does so much!

"It's his life and he wins races and championships so it's fine. You can hardly say it doesn't work for him," he added.

Hamilton will have to 'raise his game' to beat Verstappen in 2018!

Verstappen laid down the gauntlet this year to the Mercedes driver who acknowledged that he'll likely need to raise his game in the future in the face of the 20-year-old prodigy's challenge.

The Red Bull driver won in Malaysia and in Mexico recently, and is hoping to finish his season on a high and carry his momentum into 2018.

"It's still difficult to say what we can expect," he said on his official website verstappen.nl.

"They (Red Bull) say it looks positive, but you do not know what the competition is doing.

"But I hope we are involved from the beginning rather than having to catch up again, even if that was not intended.

"It should also be a lot better on the engine side, so I'm curious about what we have."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.