by Budapest, Hungary (AP) – One day after said he was “useless”, Lewis Hamilton said he was facing problems “in the background” after another difficult formula 1 race.
Hamilton finished 12th on Sunday, the same place he qualified the day before, a result that had encouraged him to be called “absolutely useless” and to suggest that Ferrari could consider changing drivers.
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His race was a world far from his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was disappointed with the fourth after starting on the post.
“When you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There is a lot of things in the background that is not great,” Hamilton told British Sky Sports broadcaster after the race when he was asked to explain his comments. When he was asked if he had lost his love for the race, Hamilton said no.
In response to a question about being forced to leave the track by the former rival Max Verstappen, an out -of -competition moment in a largely silent race for Hamilton, he said: “I don’t really remember, to be honest.”
Verstappen was the subject of an investigation for the incident, but did not punish. Hamilton “has renounced his right to attend the hearing,” said the commissioners’ decision.
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A representative of Ferrari speaking in the name of Hamilton “confirmed that there was no contact between the two cars and also declared that the driver of the car 44 (Hamilton) had chosen not to try to stay on the right track,” added the stewards.
It was a frustrating day overall for Ferrari while Leclerc lost the pace in the second half of the race and went from the victory to fall completely the podium after a difficult battle with George Russell of Mercedes.
In a long radio message, Leclerc suggested that Ferrari did not listen to him in an “incredibly frustrating” situation and that the car had become “intimidable”.
After the race, however, Leclerc said he was wrong.
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“I spoke too quickly, I suppose,” he told Sky Sports, and said he was informed after the race that there had been a problem with the chassis of his car.
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AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
