Max Verstappen has accused Lewis Hamilton of hypocrisy over driver safety, saying the world champion "wants to be cool" over the issue.
At the last race, Hamilton publicly said his rivals "moan so much" about other circuits after his fellow drivers raised concerns with the layout of the Baku City Circuit following Friday practice, adding that the push for smooth surfaces takes "all the character and life" out of modern circuits. Verstappen, who complained about Spielberg's kerbs after Friday practice this weekend, says Baku's driver briefing suggested Hamilton's private views on the matter are very different to what he tells the media.
"In the media he's saying he doesn't care, but when he talks to his team it's different," Verstappen is quoted as saying by the BBC. "I had an incident in the drivers' briefing in Baku saying the pit entry was quite tricky, and he's like: 'Oh, you shouldn't bother about it.'
"But then Nico [Rosberg] jumped in and said: 'Wait, Lewis, you just said you were [scared] when you were entering the pit lane'. So what is this approach?' Maybe he wants to be cool."
Verstappen is the grid's youngest driver but says he will have no trouble standing up to Hamilton, or any other world champion on the grid, if he has a disagreement over driver safety.
"We are looking for safety and we don't want to die on track. I prefer to do it on track than talk about it in the briefing room but I'm definitely not afraid. It's not because he won world championships that you can't go against him. Everybody has his own opinion."