Lewis Hamilton has voiced his disagreement with McLaren boss Andrea Stella’s critique of Max Verstappen’s driving style. Stella had suggested that Verstappen’s aggressive racing stems from not being sufficiently penalized during his 2021 title battle with Hamilton.

In the closing stages of last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen clashed with Lando Norris while battling for the lead. Stella argued that Verstappen’s aggressive approach was a result of past leniency in penalties. However, Hamilton refuted this perspective during Thursday’s FIA press conference at Silverstone.

“I don’t agree with that, no,” Hamilton stated firmly when asked if he shared Stella’s view.

Norris chimed in, suggesting Hamilton might have agreed with Stella’s comments two or three years ago. “There were definitely a few moments especially, but on the whole I’m always going to stand up for what Andrea said. I think Andrea’s got a very good amount of sensibility with how he talks and the things he talks about,” Norris said. He acknowledged certain truths in Stella’s statements while noting that perspectives can shift based on the immediate context.

In response to the controversy, Verstappen remained unfazed. Speaking to the media ahead of the British Grand Prix, he remarked, “I don’t give a s**t about that. I go home, I live my life. For me, the only thing that I care about is maintaining my relationship with Lando because we are great friends.”

Verstappen revealed that he and Norris discussed the incident shortly after the race, recognizing that emotions had run high. “We immediately spoke on Monday and I think we came to the conclusion that we actually really enjoyed our battle,” Verstappen said. He downplayed the severity of their collision, emphasizing their mutual enjoyment of hard racing.

“We like to race hard, we’ve done this for many years, not only in Formula 1, even online racing, but we had a lot of fun together,” Verstappen added. He stressed the importance of continuing their competitive spirit, which he believes is beneficial for Formula 1.

As the British Grand Prix approaches, the focus shifts back to the track, where the high-stakes competition continues.