Lewis Hamilton apologises to Sky Sports F1 pundit over behaviour at Spanish GP
Lewis Hamilton was in a prickly mood during his post-race interview with Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes after finishing sixth at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon
Lewis Hamilton gave an off-camera apology to Sky Sports F1's Rachel Brookes for his terse responses during a post-race interview after the Spanish Grand Prix. The seven-time Formula 1 champion had endured another discouraging day while racing for Ferrari.
That led to some tension when speaking to Brookes in the media pen following his sixth-placed finish. Hamilton, after being passed by Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber and later gaining a position due to Max Verstappen's penalty, is still chasing his first podium with his new team.
His emotions were obvious when talking to Brookes. To her question about his immediate thoughts on the race, Hamilton tersely said: "Not particularly, it was not a great day. The strategy was good, the team did a great job. Just, that's it."
Sensing his downhearted demeanour, Brookes remarked: "I hate seeing you in this mood," which prompted a sharp retort from Hamilton who replied: "Well, what do you want me to say! ? I had a really bad day and I've got nothing to say."
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He continued with exasperation, "It was a difficult day, I've got nothing else to add to it. There's no point explaining it. It's not your fault I've just not got anything to say." Brookes offered some consolation, expressing hope that Ferrari would provide some solutions, to which Hamilton responded bleakly: "I'm sure they won't, the answer is probably just me."
Hamilton's subsequent interviews with international media were similarly succinct, with few words spoken and a lack of hope for the future given. His tense Sky interview attracted a lot of attention on social media, leading the Brit to apologise to Brookes privately, as revealed by her colleague David Croft.
"He was really down on himself and no-one likes to see that," the commentator shared on The Fast and the Curious podcast. "Because at the end of the day, whether you're a fan or not, Lewis Hamilton is the greatest racing driver we've ever seen.
"Statistically he is the greatest, I think he's the greatest even without the stats. He wears his heart on his sleeve and should be applauded for that, because he does a lot of good when he wears his heart on his sleeve.
"He did apologise to Rachel Brookes for being so down in the dumps. Off camera he said, 'I'm really sorry about that, I'm just so down'. And that just shows you the extent that he really was down, he's not putting it on for the cameras, trust me."
Hamilton had just completed a triple-header of races in Imola, Monaco and Barcelona and now has a week's break before heading to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.
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