Lewis Hamilton has stated that he hopes Max Verstappen ‘won’t do’ the ‘work of public interest’ that the FIA have condemned him to, taking the side of his former title rival.
F1’s governing body investigated and then punished Verstappen after the Dutchman swore during his FIA press conference on media day at the Singapore Grand Prix, sparking a row that has dominated the headlines.
Hamilton, for one, was unimpressed with the FIA’s punishment. “I think it’s a bit of a joke, to be honest,” he said after qualifying on Saturday. “This is the pinnacle of the sport. Mistakes are made. I certainly [wouldn’t] be doing it and I hope Max doesn’t do it.”
Verstappen made his thoughts very clear in the post-qualifying press conference, giving one-word or “no comment” answers to the media’s questions on the premise that he would then reply in depth out in the paddock.
“They want to set the precedent, and people got warnings or a little fine,” he later explained in the paddock. “Now with me, they wanted to set an even bigger example, I guess.
“Which for me is a bit weird, of course. Because I didn’t swear at anyone particularly, I just said one thing about my car. But it’s in the code, so they have to follow the book.
“I don’t want to blame this on the stewards, because I actually had a really good chat with them. They just have to follow the code, you know, and the book. I think they’re quite understanding, but it’s difficult for them as well.”
“I think what I said wasn’t that bad. And, of course, I get if you aim it at someone I think that’s bad. Of course, emotions can run high, but that’s still not okay. I understand that, but I felt like it was quite ridiculous what was given to me.”
Hamilton also took issue with the FIA earlier in the week, calling out Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the “racial element” of his comments comparing swearing F1 drivers to “rappers”.
“Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical,” he fumed. “If you think about it, most rappers are black. So when it says: ‘We are not like them’, those are the wrong choice of words. There is a racial element there.”
