Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's 2021 "scar tissue" will never fully go away, says Naomi Schiff

Following an exciting battle at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Naomi Schiff has suggested that the "competitive scar tissue" between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will never fully disappear, even though the pair now share a cordial relationship.

The intense rivalry between the two champions reached its boiling point during the unforgettable 2021 F1 season, which ended with the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

But at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, the pair enjoyed an on-track battle for second position and were laughing together while they reflected on the race in the cooldown room. 

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Schiff reflected on her first interview with the seven-time champion: "Well, I remember telling Lewis before I actually did the interview that I was incredibly nervous because I'd grown up borderline idolising him.

"He was really like my hero growing up. I looked up to him and so to share this moment with him, which I wanted to fill with joy and happiness and we also had to talk about Abu Dhabi. I mean he disappeared off the grid for a while, we didn't know if he was coming back or not, there was a lot to unpack.

"All that to say, we did touch on Max. I asked him about coming back into the paddock and what it was going to be like, and already then Lewis was very clear that, as much as everything that went down in the year because, even Abu Dhabi aside, there was a lot of hardcore wheel-to-wheel racing between the two of them, a lot of borderline stuff.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, pole man Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: FIA Pool

"He just said, 'You know what? At the end of the day, he's my rival, and are we going to be best mates? Probably not, but I'm still going to respect him as a competitor on track.' And so I think there's always been that respect with them.

"And it was interesting to see the way that they were so cordial with each other in the cooldown room. You can tell that it's probably still not natural for them to engage easily because you don't just forget that; there's going to be some of that competitive scar tissue that will last forever.

"I don't think anyone's forgetting that any time soon, but they make an effort to be cordial with each other and they respect each other, and that's what we saw play itself out on track in Canada, which was great racing in my opinion."