Lewis Hamilton on Thursday distanced himself from his Mercedes crew’s request for a stewards’ assessment of a flashpoint incident in final Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen compelled him off the monitor. Talking to reporters forward of this weekend’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, the defending seven-time world champion revealed he had not been a part of the method and, as an alternative, was preserving his power. “I have never been a part of it,” stated Hamilton, who delivered a spectacular against-the-odds victory to trim his Purple Bull rival’s championship benefit to 14 factors, with three races remaining.
“In fact, I’m conscious of it and I’m absolutely supportive of my crew, however I’m actually simply making an attempt to offer all of my power into this weekend, ensuring we arrive and hit the bottom operating,” he added.
“I do not know the place they’re going with the dialogue or what could possibly be the result. I’m simply not giving any power or time in any respect,” he stated.
Hamilton spoke throughout a spherical of reports conferences forward of Sunday’s race on the Losail Worldwide Circuit, being utilized by Components One for the primary time, the place the assessment discussions had been going down.
The incident underneath scrutiny got here on the forty eighth lap of the 71-lap contest in Sao Paulo as Hamilton tried to overhaul Verstappen for the race lead at flip 4.
The Dutchman defended his place vigorously and each vehicles ran off the circuit and throughout a run-off space.
The race stewards reviewed the incident and determined to take no additional motion, however the later launch of on-board video from Verstappen’s automobile led to Mercedes requesting the assessment, citing new proof.
Hamilton handed Verstappen later within the race on the third try to win, having overcome mixed penalties that meant he had in impact handed each different driver to triumph after having had his pole place lap in Friday’s qualifying annulled.
He defined on Thursday that he felt the incident was typical of a closely-fought battle for the championship and that he had no complaints.
– On-board footage –
“The rationale I stated that was as a result of that’s simply the mentality it’s a must to take. Should you sit within the automobile and complain, it can solely maintain you again so within the second I simply needed to hold shifting forwards,” he stated.
“Additionally, it’s troublesome to guage on one thing you haven’t seen all of the angles. We checked out them and we’ve a distinct viewpoint now,” he added.
Requested to elaborate, he added, “Truthfully, it isn’t one thing I actually wish to dive an excessive amount of into. I have never checked out the entire angles, I’ve seen the on-board footage, for instance, that got here out.
“I’m simply making an attempt to concentrate on the truth that we did one thing outstanding and sudden… and simply making an attempt to not concentrate on any negatives. Proper now, the crew are in dialogue, so I’m simply leaving them to it,” he stated.
Verstappen was bullish in his responses to comparable questions on Thursday and made clear he would take the identical defensive actions once more.
He stated that if he had tried to show in and keep away from any incident, he would have spun off.
“I did not want to have a look at the footage as a result of I used to be driving the automobile so I knew precisely what occurred,” he stated drily, including that he was “not likely shocked” that Mercedes had launched a assessment course of.
The Dutchman added that he was not involved by the prospect of being handed a penalty that might scale back his factors lead within the title race.
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“I do not even take into consideration that,” he stated.
“If it occurs, it isn’t the tip of the world, however once more I do not anticipate that to occur as a result of I believed it was truthful and arduous racing between the 2 guys who’re combating for the championship,” he concluded.
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