Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram to applaud Max Verstappen labelling Nico Rosberg "the new Jacques Villeneuve" over recent comments.

Rosberg was critical of Verstappen's performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver crashed out on the opening lap.

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"Verstappen was back to his old self a little bit," Rosberg commented post-race. "Just too aggressive, really too aggressive. I don't understand how he just stays flat out even with the car broken."

The Dutchman responded ahead of the Italian GP: "I think he is the new Jacques Villeneuve. Villeneuve has changed quite a bit, but it seems that Rosberg now and again wants to give a contrary opinion. Maybe he wants to attract viewers or something? He does it very often. At the beginning of this year he called me a narcissist. That is very extreme."

Having read Verstappen's quotes on GPFans, Hamilton shared the article with praise for his racing rival.