Lewis Hamilton has toned down his critical words about teammate Valtteri Bottas in a post on Instagram. He also explains that his comment to the fast Sergio Pérez, who managed to put the fire at him, was not intended as a sneer.
The seven-time world champion in Formula 1 said on Sunday after the Mexican Grand Prix that Bottas “left the door open” for Max Verstappen at the start. The Dutchman passed both Mercedes and laid the foundation for his victory in Mexico City.
“We all have a bad day sometimes,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram with a photo of the start. “We live and we learn. I said that vb (Valtteri Bottas) left the door open and of course people come with criticism. We are a team, we win and lose as a team. No one person is responsible for gain or loss, we do it together, good or bad. You can beat us, but you can’t break us. On to the next one, Valtteri. We keep pushing bro.”
Bottas started from pole position in Mexico, with Hamilton next to him and Verstappen behind him. The Finn left space on the left at the start, which Verstappen eagerly used. The Red Bull driver braked late, ducked into the first corner first and then drove sovereignly to victory. Bottas spun into Turn 1 and finished ingloriously in 15th, outside the points.
Perez
Hamilton also went back to saying that the fact that even Sergio Perez could threaten him was proof of Red Bull’s speed. This was seen by many people as a lack of respect towards the Mexican, who finished third on his home circuit. “People should not misunderstand that. I have a lot of respect for Sergio and he is doing a great job in his new team.”
,,With my comment I just wanted to make it clear that in Mexico it is very difficult to follow another car because of the thin air. That is why there are so few overtaking actions. Despite this, he was able to get very close, showing just how much downforce Red Bull’s car has. Class from Sergio that he fought the battle neatly.”
Hamilton just managed to keep Pérez behind him and finished second behind Verstappen. The Dutchman is now 19 points ahead of Hamilton in the World Cup standings, with four grands prix to go. Bottas has to make way for George Russell after this season at Mercedes. The 32-year-old Finn switches to Alfa Romeo.
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