Verstappen: "Lewis hasn’t had the strongest teammates"

Max Verstappen dishes out the praise for his rival Lewis Hamilton, but he also claims the five-time F1 world champion has had it easy throughout his successful career. Because Hamilton has had the best car, the Dutchman says the only competition he has received his through his teammates. 

And Verstappen suggests those teammates have not been good enough. Through his time at Mercedes, Hamilton has had two different teammates. Until 2016, Nico Rosberg was in the garage with the Brit until he announced his retirement after winning the title. 

Valtteri Bottas replaced the German and is signed through until the end of 2020. Verstappen gives Hamilton plenty of respect for achieving what he has, but the 22-year-old says these results aren't realistic. 

“Over the years, Lewis hasn’t had the strongest team-mates. If you have the right car you can beat everyone. Lewis is an amazing driver, and one of the best to have raced in Formula One. But he has also had the best car, and when you have the dominant car, the only one you are really fighting is your team-mate," Verstappen told The Telegraph. 

In recent months, a debate started when Christian Horner suggested Verstappen would beat Hamilton in an equal car. As a result of this, the British driver said he'd welcome Verstappen at Mercedes. The current Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver doesn't sound as keen. 

“If it happens, it happens, but it is not something I am dreaming of," Verstappen added.