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Max Verstappen's driving style has been heavily criticised of late but Lewis Hamilton says little has changed since they fought for the title down to the last lap of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Red Bull's reigning champion, who denied Hamilton an eighth title in a season full of incidents, was twice penalised in Mexico last Monday, Australian time, for forcing his McLaren title rival Lando Norris wide and going off and gaining an advantage.
"All you have to do is just go and look back and listen to some of my radio comments back in the day," Hamilton told reporters when asked about Norris saying the triple world champion was "dangerous".
"I don't think you're seeing much difference across the years from 2021 to now. It's pretty much the same," he added, speaking ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix on Monday morning, AEDT.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had famous on-track battles in 2021, including this crash at the Italian Grand Prix. (Getty Images: Peter Van Egmond)
Championship leader Verstappen hit back at critics, saying in a separate press conference he knew what he was doing.
"I've heard that before in my career," Verstappen said when asked about whether he would change his driving style.
"It's my 10th year in Formula 1, I think I know what I'm doing."
São Paulo's Interlagos circuit saw one of the memorable 2021 battles between Hamilton and Verstappen, with both going off track while fighting for the lead in a race won by the Mercedes driver as they fought neck-and-neck for the title.
Verstappen ended up winning the championship after overtaking Hamilton on the last lap of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, claiming his first world title.
Drivers had a meeting after the Mexican race that Hamilton's Mercedes teammate George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, described as "positive" given the incidents on track.
"Actions that should have been punished were punished," Russell told reporters in São Paulo.
Verstappen holds a 47-point lead in the drivers' championship over Norris with four race weekends remaining.
There are four grands prix and two sprint races left in the season, with one of the sprints being held in Sao Paulo.
There is a maximum of 120 points to be won from the remaining four weekends.
Reuters/ABC