Verstappen: It's great Hamilton finally knows 'how to hit the apex'

Max Verstappen took a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton after the Mercedes driver alluded to the Dutchman when he commented on his clean duel with Charles Leclerc at Silverstone last weekend.

Hamilton and Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel in the closing stages of the British Grand Prix, and at one point the pair ran together through Copse Corner, with the Ferrari driver boldly overtaking Hamilton who was positioned on the inside of the corner.

The move recalled the dramatic opening lap clash between Verstappen and Hamilton at Silverstone in 2021, when the Mercedes driver also held the inside line through Copse only to pitch the Red Bull driver into the barriers.

When asked about his fight with Leclerc at Silverstone in Thursday's media conference ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton praised the Monegasque for keeping things "sensible" during their tussle, indirectly suggesting that hadn't been the case with Verstappen twelve months ago.

When told of Hamilton's comments, Verstappen couldn't help taking a swipe at his former arch-rival.

"I think it's great that, when you're 37 years old, at some point you understand how to get to an apex," a sarcastic Verstappen told the Dutch journalist Erik van Haren.

"He does learn, so that's positive for the younger drivers: when you're 37 you still stay always learning!

"You can clearly see it in the images, of course. Charles gave him less space than I did last year, so that says enough. Moreover, he received a penalty last year, so you should not talk about that."

• Read also: Hamilton trashes Horner claim on Mercedes strategy at Silverstone

As the 2022 F1 season reaches its half-way point in Austria, Verstappen currently leads the Drivers' standings by 34 points over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, while Leclerc is third, 43 points adrift.

As for Hamilton, the seven-time world champion is slowly getting back into the mix thanks to Mercedes' improvements, but the Briton is no longer a contender in the world championship given his 88-point deficit.

Asked if Hamilton's pointed remark on Leclerc was part of the Briton's mental game, Verstappen said the "blunt" comment would have "no effect on my performance".

"I just have to concentrate on what we're doing here," said the reigning world champion. "I think we're doing pretty well this year. That's what I'm concentrating on."

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