Max Verstappen responds to Hamilton's 'act like a world champion' dig at the Belgium GP

Reigning Formula One world champion Max Verstappen brushed off Lewis Hamilton's "act like a world champion" comments at the Belgium Grand Prix.

According to PlanetF1, Verstappen said: "You know what it is, everyone can have their opinion. That's all fine, but I can't do anything with that." He added: "That's not my problem either. You don't have to dwell on it for very long either. It's all resolved, and we'll just get on with it."

Hamilton called for Verstappen to start acting like a world champion following their collision and Verstappen's outrage post-race in Hungary.

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According to the Daily Mail, Hamilton said: "You have to be a team leader, a team member. Maybe not so much a team leader but more so just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion."

After a dominant start to 2024, cracks have started to show in the Red Bull team, with Mercedes and McLaren producing a car that can compete with Verstappen until the race ends. In the last three races, Hamilton won the British and Belgium GPs, and Oscar Piastri won the Hungarian GP.

Verstappen has gone four races without a win after finishing fourth in Belgium, but in Hungary, the old 'Mad Max' persona was back for the world to see after an angry rant on the team radio.

According to the GPFans website, on the radio, Verstappen said: "It's quite impressive how we let ourselves get completely undercut and just completely **** my race."

He continued on the radio with more expletives and later said, "I don't think we need to apologize; we just need to do a better job. I don't know why some people think you can't be vocal on the radio. This is a sport. If you don't like it, stay home."

Verstappen's anger and poor temperament were deciding factors in why he couldn't win a world championship before 2021. In 2018, he pushed Esteban Ocon into the paddock after he was knocked out of the race, and in 2020, he called Lance Stroll a 'mongol' after colliding in practice.

It's safe to say Verstappen can lose his head extremely quickly when things don't go his way, and with McLaren and Mercedes competing for his number-one position, his poor temperament could quite easily cost him the world title.

Red Bull can only blame themselves for the competitive monster they have created in Verstappen, as they have shown they do very little punishing when the Dutchman steps over the line with anger and frustration.

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His team has given Verstappen everything he needs to be successful, but it's a double-bladed sword, with Verstappen thinking he can do whatever he wants and ignore clear team orders. The Dutchman knows he's the best driver on the grid and has the power to do what he pleases.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, his know-it-all personality and clear disregard for the team were there for people to see. He was asked to watch his tires and replied: "No mate, don't give me that ****. You guys gave me this **** strategy - I'm trying to rescue what's left."

Planet F1 reports the departure of Adrian Newey could have had a significant impact on Verstappen, with his wealth of knowledge and degree of certainty missing from the Red Bull paddock.

McLaren's MCL38 and Mercedes' W15 look to be on par with Red Bull's RB20 and with Verstappen's selfish attitude to not follow a game plan, the McLaren and Mercedes drivers will be licking their lips at following the correct team strategy to beat Verstappen and potentially stop the Dutchman from winning a fourth title.

If more cracks show and Verstappen continues with his lone wolf and angry mentality, his 78-point lead at the top of the championship will quickly come down. Will his demise continue after the summer break?

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