Hamilton says he will not apologise for post-Mexico comments

Speaking in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton said he would not apologise for his forceful post-race comments about his battle with Charles Leclerc at the Mexican Grand Prix. He acknowledged that words can sometimes be regretted later, but said he would not apologise for being himself. He also said he did not care how others viewed his remarks and rejected the suggestion that they had been calculated.

Hamilton started the Mexico race from pole and had to defend against Leclerc. Leclerc cut the track at Turn 4 and took the lead as Hamilton fell to third. Leclerc was penalised, and neither Ferrari won.

Hamilton said that a driver with a heart rate of 170, travelling at 300 km/h, has no time during a race to calculate what to say or consider what the media might write. He also defended frank team-radio messages: drivers vent frustration, often at team leadership over decisions, and, according to Hamilton, stewards have asked them to report problems on track.

He cited a Mexico practice incident involving Isack Hadjar, who, Hamilton said, slowed on the racing line approaching Turn 1. Hamilton said the stewards neither commented on nor investigated it; had he complained, he said, they would have investigated and issued an impeding penalty. He added that nobody had asked him to stop speaking.