BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton called to emergency Ferrari meeting today after dis…
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton called to emergency Ferrari meeting today after ‘disrespectful’ accusation
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur will speak with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc today following their incident at the Mexican GP last weekend. The seven-time world champion was leading when his teammate attempted an ambitious overtake at Turn 4, which saw both drivers brake at the last minute. Leclerc went in front but was forced off track while Max Verstappen slipped through the gap that emerged, with the former forced to hand the place over to the Red Bull driver.
The 58-year-old Frenchman has already spoken to both drivers individually in the wake of his public comments that suggested there was “a lack of respect” from the pair for all of Ferrari‘s employees. Hamilton was specifically asked about that on Thursday and provided a very clear response.
He said: “I think my respect has always been the highest for my team. We have so many people working so hard back at the factory – that’s why I’m always praising them. That’s why I’m always trying to show my appreciation for them and do my absolute utmost to help push the team forward. I feel like I’ve been a big part of where we are today as a team, which is positive.”
Hamilton has faced some criticism for what he said over the Ferrari team radio during the race and from clips that have since emerged. The 41-year-old revealed he had seen the complaints and quickly dismissed that his comments were calculated.
He said: “I did see something that someone was saying that the things that I’m saying are calculated, and I just want to combat that with the fact that when you’re in the race, your heart rate is like 170 [beats per minute]. You’re driving 200 miles an hour. You don’t have time to be calculated in what you’re saying and thinking about what the media are going to write about, you don’t think about that.
“Of course, there’s some times you say things and maybe you might regret it afterwards, but I don’t, and I’m never going to apologise for being authentic and real. I’m not going to be silenced. I have never ever been silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything [by the team], and that’s just the way it is.
Leclerc has been back in Europe following the birth of his first child, Bianca, with his wife, Alexandra but revealed he wanted to hold talks with Hamilton following the incident.
“We will talk about it, obviously,” Leclerc said. “I don’t know if he was very unhappy with what I did, because I felt like what he did was very much on the limit as well. I think he was maybe more angry with the whole situation, how the situation was dealt with in Turns 4 and 5 with the penalty, etc. So this is something we’ll talk about for sure.”
The Monegasque is still expected to race in Sao Paulo and could arrive late, but seemingly with plenty of time to hold talks in the Ferrari camp.
