Lewis Hamilton has thrown down the gauntlet to bitter rival Max Verstappen ahead of their winner-takes-all showdown at the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, warning he is up for a fight.
Until now, the seven-time champion has tried to dampen rising tension over a rivalry that has careered increasingly out of control. But a remarkable third win in a row left the ecstatic Mercedes’ man looking forward to the Yas Island finale declaring: “I feel I am in the boxing ring and I’m ready to go.”
Hamilton was speaking after ducking several ‘punches’ in an entertaining and wacky race at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend. The bitter rivals collided twice while battling for the lead of a rollercoaster race in Jeddah.
Hamilton may have emerged as the victor and picked up fastest lap along the way but he did it with part of his front wing in shreds. And it was enormous luck that was the only damage after he rammed the back of his rivals car.
Verstappen had a torrid day as he was slapped with two penalties over his ruthless racing tactics. Despite a performance for the ages which earned him Driver of the Day from the fans, the young Dutchman limped home 11 seconds adrift fearing one of his tyres would blow.
For his part furious Hamilton branded the Dutchman a “crazy guy”, but the world champion insisted keeping calm in the midst of such remarkable, boiling controversy was what had won the day.
The British driver knew going into the race a crash that took out both cars would mean Verstappen becoming champion.
“We approached it with a cool head as a team. The key for us was just staying calm,” he said.
But Hamilton did not shy away from criticising his 24-year-old rival for his unrelenting tactics. “It was clear that others around us willing to take it to all sorts of levels in order to overtake,” he added. “I just tried to keep it on the track and stay out of trouble. Which meant avoiding an incident if I could.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - past champions
“I was grateful I still had a wing at the end. I took a lot of risks with the bit of damage I had to get that extra point as we continue to fight.”
It’s clear, for him, the gloves are off. "I've raced a lot of drivers in my life, in the 28 years, I've come across a lot of different characters,” said Hamilton. "There's a few at the top which are... yeah, over the limit. Rules kinda don't apply, or they don't think of the rules."
When asked if he was talking about Verstappen, Hamilton replied: "He's over the limit, for sure. I've avoided collision on so many occasions with the guy and I don't always mind being the one that does that, because you live to fight another day. Which I obviously did."
One accident saw Hamilton’s boss Toto Wolff hurl his headphones into the garage floor in fury.
“No matter what we have experienced as a team, no matter what we face keep pushing, we never give up and that’s been the mentality of our team," said Hamilton. "I’ve seen a passion and excitement in our team I don’t think I’ve seen in 10 years, which is amazing."
Verstappen was so disappointed to finish second again he refused to take part in the traditional podium rose water spraying celebrations.
Meanwhile, Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 champion, criticised both drivers for amateur “rental karting” tactics.
Verstappen arrives in Abu Dhabi to begin preparations for the biggest race of his young life wondering how it has got to this stage when he had a cavernous 32-point lead in early July.
But the inspired decision to tie down the deal to make the Yas Marina Circuit the final F1 race of the season means Abu Dhabi will become the centre of the sporting world for what promises to be an epic showdown.
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Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
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Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
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The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
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Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
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Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
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United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
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RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
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