Over the last month, the world of Formula 1 has had to deal with two particularly important issues, namely the accusations made against Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner and FIA President Ben Sulayem.
Two issues that dominated the front pages, so much so that they obscured what happened on the track in Bahrain, where the RB20 still proved to be the reference car ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton is aware that the W15 did not show its full potential in Sakhir due to overheating problems which, at least on paper, should be resolved ahead of the stage in Saudi Arabia, where warmer temperatures are expected.
The Briton can't wait to get on track and discover the single-seater on a different track, full of fast corners, but also with an asphalt that guarantees much more grip and is kinder to the tyres. However, Wednesday's press conference in Jeddah was dominated by questions about off-track happenings.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team with Doriane Pin (FRA, Prema Racing)
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Allegations of misconduct leveled against Horner by a team employee and the investigations involving FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in recent days have received great attention. When asked if he was saddened that off-track events are currently dominating the sport he loves, Hamilton made it clear he was concerned about their impact.
“As someone who loves the sport, it's definitely disappointing to see what's happening right now. It doesn't look like a good thing from the outside. I think it's a very important time for the sport to show and stick to its values, holding ourselves accountable for our actions. It's a really pivotal time for the sport, in terms of what we project to the world and how it's managed. And up until this point it hasn't been managed very well.”
“I think transparency is really key. And I really hope to see some progress in the future. But I hope that this isn't a year where we keep going like this. But it highlights some of the problems that we have internally as well. of sport. And when we talk about diversity and inclusion, inclusion, for example, and the fact that people feel comfortable in this environment, is fundamental. And clearly that is not the case.”
Speaking about the investigation involving the President of the FIA, accused of having wanted the cancellation of Fernando Alonso's penalty in the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and of having pushed officials not to approve the Las Vegas Formula 1 circuit last year year, Hamilton did not say he was surprised: “Does it surprise me? I think we're all surprised by what we're seeing happen, aren't we? It surprises me that everything is in the spotlight, but I'm not surprised about the rest.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
Photo by: Erik Junius
As for the potential impact of the Horner saga on Red Bull, Hamilton made some interesting observations about his time at McLaren and, more specifically, the upheaval that occurred when Ron Dennis' leadership was called into question.
“From my experience, obviously, I went through something similar when I was at McLaren, in the sense that our leader was in question and was going through a difficult time. And this had repercussions on everyone. I remember, for example, when we were losing Ron, it all had an impact on all of us.”
“And so a leader is very important. Because he sets the tone, he makes sure that the team sticks to the core values of the sport and integrity. And even though there are a lot of people further down who are just as important, that leader it's the key, I think, to where we're working towards,” Hamilton added.
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