‘I’m Never Going To Apologize’: Lewis Hamilton Refuses To Be Silenced Amidst Tensions With Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton has refused to be ‘silenced’ following his criticism of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc during and after the Mexican GP. The Briton said that he will not apologize for being ‘authentic and real’ as he addressed criticism for going after his teammate in the media after the race in Mexico City.

“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 apologize for being authentic and real,” Hamilton told the media at the Brazilian GP on Thursday.

“I’m not gonna be silenced. I’ve never ever been silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything [by the team], and that’s just the way it is,” he added.

After Leclerc received a five-second time penalty following the pair’s incident at Turn 4 on the first lap of the Mexican GP, Hamilton said over the team radio that he thought such incidents now warranted a 10-second penalty, a sentiment that was also echoed by Max Verstappen during the race.

But the FIA stewards considered the fact that both Leclerc and Hamilton went off the track during the incident, and the fact that it was the first lap of the race, to be big enough mitigating circumstances to give the 29-year-old only a five-second penalty.

‘I Wear My Heart On My Sleeve’: Lewis Hamilton Defends His Comments About Charles Leclerc in Mexico

When questioned about him advocating for a penalty for his own teammate during the Mexican GP, Hamilton explained that he does not care how others feel about what he said during and after the race last weekend. He added that he had no time to be ‘calculated’ while calling for a bigger penalty for Leclerc after their Lap 1 incident.

“I don’t really care how everyone feels about what I’ve said. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I say how I feel in the moment,” Hamilton 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. 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,” he added.

Hamilton then revealed that the in-depth internal conversations he wanted to have with Ferrari and Leclerc have not yet taken place. This is likely because team boss Fred Vasseur traveled back to Europe in between the Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, and Leclerc also traveled back home for the birth of his daughter.

Lewis Hamilton Says Charles Leclerc Races Him Harder Than Other Drivers

Hamilton has continued his scrutiny of Leclerc’s racing, this time saying that the Monegasque races him harder than other drivers on the grid. The seven-time world champion also pointed to previous teammates Leclerc has had, claiming that it was the same case with them as well.

“Yes. I see what you see,” Hamilton replied when asked if Leclerc races him harder than he races other drivers.

“In Singapore, he was fully on the inside into Turn 1 [against Verstappen], he had won the lead, and he backed off. It was definitely different.

“But I mean, if you look at the team-mates, it was the same with Sebastian [Vettel]. It was the same with Carlos [Sainz],” he added.

Hamilton also told the media in Sao Paulo that he understands his ‘responsibility’ towards Ferrari, as he acknowledged the many employees working in the background at Maranello.

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