Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Losail International Circuit, 2021

Hamilton not ‘giving any energy’ to bid for review of Verstappen incident

2021 Qatar Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton supports Mercedes’ efforts to have the stewards investigate a contentious incident between him and Max Verstappen, but isn’t “giving any energy to it”.

The world champion’s team has asked the stewards to reconsider their decision not to investigate the incident, in which both drivers ran wide as Hamilton tried to overtake the Red Bull.

“I’ve not really been a part of it,” said Hamilton. “Of course I’m aware of it and I’m fully supportive of my team.

“But I’ve literally just tried to give all my energy to getting ready for this weekend and making sure that we arrive and hit the ground running and I have no idea where they’re going with the discussion or what could be the outcome. I’m just not giving it any energy at the time at all.”

Hamilton voiced no objection to the incident on the radio during the race, which he went on to win after successfully passing Verstappen for the lead. “That’s the mentality you have to take,” he explained.

“If you sit in the car in the moment and complain, it’ll only hold you back. So at the moment I just have to keep moving forwards. And also it’s difficult to judge on something that you’ve not seen all the angles.”

He indicated his view of the incident had changed after studying it. “Of course we looked at it and have a different viewpoint, naturally, now. But I’m just using my energy setting up the car and making sure that I’m in the right head space this weekend so I’m not really giving anything to it.”

Asked how he reflected on the incident Hamilton said: “I won. That’s how I reflect on it. It was a good weekend.”

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2021 Qatar Grand Prix

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18 comments on “Hamilton not ‘giving any energy’ to bid for review of Verstappen incident”

  1. A wise response.

  2. Thats why big teams have 500+ employees. Ham doesn’t have to focus on it because someone else is.

  3. Of course! Of course!

  4. petebaldwin (@)
    18th November 2021, 15:55

    Lewis probably needs to win all 3 races to be champion. A penalty may mean that he only needs to win 2 but either way, the approach will be the same. You would want the final race to be the one where you can finish 2nd rather than having to win the final race to seal it…

    For Max, winning 1 race would probably do it (providing Lewis doesn’t get a fastest lap point) but it would be a big risk to assume that won’t happen. A Perez DNF and Hamilton can probably find space to pit late and finish 2nd with a fastest lap. Max needs 2 wins to be safe and that would remain the case whatever decision gets made on a penalty.

    They both just need to let the teams do their thing and remain focussed on winning the few races left this season.

    1. Totally agree. This whole penalty discussion is getting really old and distracts from some great racing by both Lewis and Max.

  5. Go Lewis go

  6. Changing your view of the turn 4 battle by 180degrees makes him look weak and hypocritical. But little news value in that really.

    1. actually, expecting a fixated viewpoint from him even after the benefit of a an outcome-shifting perspective exposes your gaping lack of critical thinking.

      but don’t let anyone get in the way of stuffing your foot in your mouth.

    2. @w0o0dy

      Not letting new information change your viewpoint = strong?

      O_o

    3. I don’t get it? What has Hamilton done wrong today?

  7. @losd no Strong would be to acknowledge the fact that Max showed maturity because he didn’t do what Hamilton did in Silverstone. Going round the outside is a risk and Max didn’t destroy Lewis’s race, Lewis’s car and chose not to almost kill Lewis, where Lewis did exactly that in Silverstone.

    1. @w0o0dy Hamilton was the only reason Verstappen didn’t punt Hamilton off.

      If Hamilton had refused to budge in São Paulo like Verstappen did in Silverstone, he’d have been in the wall.

      1. @losd: no because Max was fully alongside so in no way could he have hit the backwheel like Lewis did.

        1. Verstappen was nowhere near fully alongside before the breaking zone (he was in fact a car length behind), but then he breaked late and steered little until he was ahead of Hamilton, who was breaking and steering on the limit to make the corner, until he couldn’t bc. VER was in his way @w0o0dy; while VER’s steering was only viewable afterwards, the part you said was already clearly wrong on air during the race if you care about facts at all. The only disputes are whether that was ‘hard racing’ or too-hard/crowding, and why the stewards didn’t feel they needed to look at it at all, instead of just looking and then deciding.

          1. Correct, before the braking he was next to Lewis rear wheel and could hit Lewis on that wheel but didn’t as he brakes later coming total next to Lewis far in the braking zone.

  8. Unfortunately, many of the sport’s fans get too emotional about a minor incident. There was no contact, and Hamilton himself is the least concerned about it. He could have said a lot more, if he had felt wronged. I think this has to do with Toto taking it personal. Though Hamilton was celebrating with the Brazilian flag on the top spot of the podium, the camera showed Toto’s face as stern as stoner. He didn’t like it. But for the man who was actually in the heart of the action, it was no big deal. As Verstappen pointed out, it has more to do with Toto’s disgust at the qualifying disqualification than anything else. Verstappen was also right about something else – Hamilton himself would probably do something like that in such a situation at such a corner. That’s probably why he is silent about this and acknowledging the possibility of “a different viewpoint” – not strong at all to condemn what is paraded around (by some fans and the team) as a wrongful move.

    1. @pt yes, exactly. Nice to finally see some sense around here.

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