Hamilton looks forward to battle with Verstappen: "We have something to put right".

Verstappen had extremely bad luck during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After starting from third, he passed Charles Leclerc, and was too fast for Hamilton during the pitstops. Verstappen was in the lead, and with only a few laps to go it looked as though he'd secured victory. But then his tyre blew out.

Bad luck for Max

''I was on my way to make the gap with Lewis Hamilton a lot bigger, but it is what it is. Bad luck is also part of this sport. Luckily Hamilton didn't score either,'' Verstappen told NOS. Hamilton missed the first corner at the restart because he accidentally touched a button that changed his brake balance, which meant he failed to score. The talk of the day, however, remains Pirelli.

''Very often teams don't follow the guidelines. It's always the same: if something goes wrong with the tyres Pirelli increases the compulsory tyre pressure. That happened in Baku and now also here in France. That is very telling. The rules are clear,'' said the seven-time world champion who sat next to Verstappen in the press conference.

Hamilton and Verstappen engage in battle

''This is a fast track, where you have to keep a very close eye on the wear and tear. This is a track where they [Mercedes] always perform well. It suits them much better than the streets of Azerbaijan and Monaco. We were never great here, but we have a competitive car now. Hopefully we can tussle,'' Verstappen said.

''We have something to put right. It was a very tough time. It takes a lot, but losing motivates extra. I am looking forward to the race and the fight with Max. The Red Bull's will be strong, but I am relaxed and feel no pressure. I have had some terrible races, but I am still in a good position in the battle with Verstappen. It's far from decided,'' Hamilton concluded with determination.