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Lewis Hamilton has moved to clarify comments he made about his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez following Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton appeared critical of Bottas’s approach to Turn 1 on the opening lap as the Mercedes duo allowed Max Verstappen to sweep around the outside of them and move from third to first.
Verstappen would go unchallenged thereafter while poleman Bottas’s caution inadvertently led to Daniel Ricciardo tipping him into a spin.
“I’d envisaged it differently, naturally, in the sense that if Valtteri had maybe got a better start then I would have tried to get into his tow,” Hamilton said after the race.
“But obviously I was alongside him, which was good, and then I was just covering my side of the track, making sure no-one could come up the inside, so I was trying to keep whichever Red Bull I could see in my mirror behind.
“And I thought Valtteri would be doing the same – but obviously he left the door open for Max and Max was on the racing line, so did a mega job braking into Turn 1. Because I’m on the inside and on the dirt, there was no hope for me.”
Hamilton took to Instagram to clarify his comments about Bottas saying “We all have bad days. We live and we learn.
“Yesterday I said VB [Bottas] left the door open and naturally people will jump to criticise.
“We are a team and we win and lose as a team. There is not one single person responsible for winning or losing, we do it together good or bad.
“You may be able to beat us, but you won’t be able to break us.
“Onto the next one Valtteri, let’s keep pushing bro!”
Hamilton’s Bottas clarification was posted just an hour after he issued a separate clarification for comments he made about Perez.
“Got a really good start and I feel like I maximised it with what I had, but jeez, their pace, it was just unbelievable today,” Hamilton told SkySportsF1 after the race.
“And there was nothing I could do to battle that. And when you’ve got Checo on your tail then you know their car is quick.”
While some took that as a jibe against Perez, Hamilton’s comments to David Coulthard in the immediate post-race interview indicated it was a testament to the pace of the Red Bull that it could follow so closely, not a negative against Perez.
“It just shows how fast their car was when Sergio was that close behind me and able to follow that closely,” Hamilton said. “He did a great job, so he was applying that pressure and kept going, but I really enjoyed the race still.”
On Instagram, the seven-time world champion said “Just want to make sure people don’t read what I was saying wrong yesterday.
“I have a lot of respect for Perez and think he’s doing a great job in his new team. He’s improved so much this season and I know how hard it is to progress with a new team, it takes time.
“My comment was simply that following another car in Mexico is the hardest thing due to the low drag we all have. That’s why there is very little overtaking.
“However, he was able to follow so closely which highlights just how much more downforce they were able to carry. Big up Checo for keeping it clean.”
