Lewis Hamilton aims subtle dig at Max Verstappen after Las Vegas GP
Published
| Last updated
Lewis Hamilton appeared to aim a subtle dig at Max Verstappen at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
F1 cars took to the Vegas Strip Circuit for the first time on Saturday evening (Sunday morning UK time), with Verstappen emerging victorious after an eventful Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was penalised after a turn one incident that saw him deemed to have forced Charles Leclerc off the track.
He then was overtaken by the Ferrari driver on track, before working his way back through the field after a mid-race safety car.
Verstappen held off Leclerc and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to take the chequered flag after 50 laps of action.
Loading…
In his post-race interview, the Dutchman called the race 'fun' - although did double down on his earlier criticisms of the pre-race proceedings and the off-track events surrounding the Grand Prix.
And Hamilton appeared to make references to those critiques - and those from others involved with the race - when giving his own appraisal of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver told Sky Sports: "For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong.
"The race was great, and it was one of the best races.
"There have been so many people who have been negative about the show, and all that. But just let it be and see how it goes. And it was huge.
"There has been criticism about having three races in the United States, and people talking about bringing back old classics from Europe.
"But this has provided a better race than most of the tracks we go to. Hats off to the people who ran the show."
What did Verstappen say about the Las Vegas GP?
Verstappen raised a number of concerns over the Grand Prix before the teams travelled to Vegas, particularly over the track layout.
After Wednesday's opening ceremony, in which the drivers were introduced while stood on moving podiums, he said they all 'looked like clowns'.
Then, after qualifying on Saturday, he gave a detailed breakdown on his unhappiness with the weekend.
He said: "For me, when I was a little kid it was about the emotion of the sport, that's what I fell in love with and not the show around it. As a real racer, I think that shouldn't really matter.
"A racing car on a street circuit anyway doesn't really come alive. It's not that exciting. I think it's more about proper race tracks. When you go to Spa, Monza, these kinds of places, they have a lot of emotion and passion."
He added: "[Most] People come and they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and go out and have a crazy night out.
"But they don't actually understand what we are doing and what we are putting on the line to perform. If you would actually invest more time into the actual sport, what we're actually trying to achieve here.
"I love to go out, have a few drinks, throw everything on red, to be a bit crazy and have nice food. But like I said, emotion, passion, it's not there, compared to some old school tracks."
Featured Image Credit: Getty / Sky Sports
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Formula 1
