Max Verstappen urged to keep out of Lewis Hamilton’s politics as F1 title race hots up

F1 preview: A lap of the French Grand Prix

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Alexander Albon has told Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen that he does not need to involve himself in politics with Lewis Hamilton to be successful.

Verstappen claimed his third victory of 2021 during the French Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Dutchman passed rival Hamilton with two laps of the race to go.

He praised his Red Bull team for helping him make an “easy pass” on the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen had initially looked like he would lose out to Hamilton after an error on Turn 1.

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However, he managed to pull the race back in his favour with two laps remaining.

“I could see Lewis on the tyres he was on,” Verstappen said after the race.

“They were really worn and there was not much left on it, so as soon as I got in the DRS, with the top speed and the wing level we chose, it was a fairly, let’s say, easy pass.

“Of course also having fresher tyres [helped too]. It worked out but it was very tight.”

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But team-mate Albon has said that Verstappen does not need his rivalry with Hamilton to perform.

“I have an excellent relationship with Max and that is partly because I have known him for a long time,” Albon told RacingNews365.

“We also raced against each other in karts and he’s a good guy.

“He is always very honest and he is also a person who doesn’t need politics because he is such a good driver. That way he can always focus on himself and that’s good too, that’s how it should be as a driver.

“In the end it’s about performing well yourself and that’s what Max does.”

Verstappen’s victory meant that Red Bull have won three consecutive races.

The 23-year-old extended his lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ ranking.

Albon has been pleased with Red Bull’s performances.

“Obviously Red Bull has taken another step forward this season and I think that’s partly because we’re the team that makes the best use of the simulator,” Albon said.

“We spend a lot of time in it. I’ve had days on it where I live there all day.”

The 25-year-old continued: “The team has managed to align all the little details just a little better this season and from those small changes we can now compete with Mercedes.

“I’m very happy about that, because it’s nice to see that Red Bull can fight with Mercedes every week.

“Last year, we already had a good car in our hands and because we have been able to adjust a few small things this winter, we now have a car that is good enough to compete at the front.”
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