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Every time Villeneuve inherited the win.

Speaking to the Dutch media on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen was asked about Hamilton’s comments and whether he thought Leclerc was a more sensible driver than he was.

“I think it's quite nice that, at 37 years of age, you can still learn how to hit an apex,” Verstappen replied.

“He is learning, so that is positive. It is also good for younger drivers to know that you are still learning when you are 37 years old.”

Pressed on what he thought when he heard Hamilton’s comments, Verstappen reiterated his point that it was “good that he has found the apex now”.

“You can clearly see in the footage what was different compared to last year,” Verstappen said.

“I think Charles gave him less space than I did last year, so that says it all. And in the end, [Lewis] was the one who got penalised last year, so there's no point talking about that either.”

As Verstappen chases his second straight F1 title, the Dutchman sits 34 points clear of the field with six wins to his name. By comparison, Hamilton is yet to finish a race any higher than third this year amid Mercedes’ struggles under the new regulations.

Asked if he thought Hamilton’s comments were part of the game, Verstappen said he thought they were “a bit blunt”, but would have “no effect on my performance”.