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Max Verstappen feels the ongoing tension between Mercedes and Red Bull made his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton look bigger than it was.

Verstappen and Hamilton delivered an all-time classic title battle in 2021, although it was not one that came and went without controversial moments.

Their collisions at Silverstone and Monza in particular proved major flashpoints but, as much as both drivers were prone to some on-track tension, the clashes off it between Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner were just as, if not more, fiery.

And Verstappen believes these dramas blew his rivalry with Hamilton out of proportion.

“I think the conflict between Mercedes and Red Bull played a big role in the fight between me and Lewis, as well as all the events that happened during the championship,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“That exacerbated the confrontation on track.”

Asked if he ever had fears over his safety, with those crashes at Silverstone and Monza mentioned as examples, Verstappen replied: “No, things don’t work out if you are afraid. I never thought about the risk of getting hurt. I was focused on winning.”

The new regulations for 2022 have served to shake up the order, so while Verstappen still has the pace to be a title contender in the Red Bull RB18, Hamilton has found himself comfortably adrift