Hockenheim: Lewis Hamilton has insisted he will not sink to Sebastian Vettel’s level by seeking radio revenge if he triumphs on his rival’s home turf.
Hamilton will head into Sunday’s German Grand Prix eight points adrift in the championship standings following the Ferrari driver’s win at Silverstone a fortnight ago.
Vettel celebrated his victory by roaring in Italian over the Ferrari team radio: “We are leaving with the British flag to hang at Maranello. We’ve won here at their home.”
Ferrari stoked the rivalry further by headlining their triumphant post-race press release with an ironic play on words. “A hammer blow,” the Italians wrote.
Mercedes’s Formula One operation is based only a stone’s throw from the home of the British Grand Prix, while Hamilton’s comeback drive from last to second — after he was punted off at the first corner by Vettel’s Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen — was cheered on by 140,000 partisan fans.
Responding to Vettel’s radio message, Hamilton said: “I heard something was said, but I see that as an act of weakness. It doesn’t affect me whatsoever. Good for him.
“We will keep our heads down, keep quiet, and focus on doing a better job. That is our approach right now. I hope that when we do a good job this weekend, we won’t respond by saying, ‘Oh, we did it at his home ground’. That is not necessary.”
Hamilton’s own conscience was not exactly clear in the moments after his defeat at Silverstone. He snubbed a live interview with broadcaster Martin Brundle before accusing Ferrari of dirty play.
Hamilton’s theory was that Ferrari had hatched a plan to wipe him out of contention by ordering Raikkonen to bang into him on purpose. A day later, Hamilton admitted he got it wrong, and said sorry to Raikkonen in a series of apologetic posts to his 6.7 million Instagram followers. “Obviously it was silly to say,” said Vettel, reflecting on Hamilton’s accusation. “We are racing and we have all been there. It isn’t great if you get hit when you have done nothing wrong. It’s two weeks ago. We move on.”
Mercedes moved on by ending Hamilton’s long-running contract saga and ensuring his future on the grid for another two seasons.
Hamilton will be rewarded with an eye-watering 80 million pounds, and will once again be partnered by Valtteri Bottas after Mercedes resisted the temptation to sign Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull by extending the Finn’s deal. The scars of three years of toxic in-fighting between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remain too raw, while Bottas has proved a reliable, and occasionally speedy, understudy. Hamilton said: “Now it’s announced, we can embark on a strong future together.”
