F1 title contenders Max Verstappen andLewis Hamilton ahead of the Russian Grand Prix this weekend.- Verstappen sarcastically said he "could barely sleep" after Hamilton suggested he was feeling the pressure.
- The Dutchman also mocked Hamilton for flying 4,000 miles after a big crash involving the two.
Max Verstappen has hit back at the hypocrisy of his critics after he was blasted for not seeing if Lewis Hamilton was okay following a heavy crash at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
The two men gunning for the Formula One world championship crashed at the latest race with Verstappen's car driving over the top of Hamilton's before both were beached in a gravel trap.
Verstappen was handed a three-place grid penalty by the stewards and was criticized for not seeing if Hamilton was okay after his car had just hit his rival in the head.
"I jumped out of the car, I looked to the left and he's of course still trying to reverse, checking the wheel, trying to get away under my car.
"So I think he was absolutely fine because also flying on Monday or Tuesday to America to attend a gala, I think you only do that if you feel fine," Verstappen told a press conference on Thursday.
Verstappen's title rival Hamilton was pictured in New York for the Met Gala last Monday, 4,000 miles from where he and Verstappen had crashed at the Italian Grand Prix the day before.
Hamilton ramps up his mind games
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Hamilton suggested the Dutchman is feeling the pressure of fighting for his first title.
"Obviously he won't admit to it, and I'm not going to make an assumption, but I remember what it was like when I had my first [title fight] and it definitely mounted up.
"It was difficult. It was intense. I was going through a lot of different emotions and I didn't always handle it the best. There's a lot of self expectation and pressure because the desire to win is huge," Hamilton said during a press conference on Thursday.
Verstappen was quick to rubbish those claims and gave a sarcastic response when asked if he was feeling the pressure.
"Yeah, I'm so nervous I can barely sleep. I mean, it's so horrible to fight for a title. I really hate it. Those comments, it just shows you that he really doesn't know me, which is fine. I also don't need to know him, how he is. I'm very relaxed about all those things and I really can't be bothered, I'm very chilled."
"It's the best feeling ever to have a car, a great car, where you go into every weekend and then you can fight for a win. It doesn't matter if you're just leading a championship or not."
It is not the first time this season that Hamilton has suggested Verstappen, who is 13 years younger than the Brit, would be susceptible to the pressure of a title charge.
Speaking before the Monaco Grand Prix in May, Hamilton said "I think I've done well to avoid all the incidents so far. We've got 19 more [races] to go and we could connect, hopefully not.
"The good thing, I think, is that there is a nice balanced amount of respect between us. I think perhaps, as you know, he feels perhaps he has a lot to prove. I'm not necessarily in the same boat there."
The two will battle again this Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix in a race expected to be impacted by heavy rain.