Lewis Hamilton’s remarks about Max Verstappen at the FIA Prize Gala reveal the real colors of the Formula One star.
Together with Sergio Perez, who finished in second position, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen attended the FIA Prize Giving ceremony in Baku on Friday to pick up their individual trophies.
During his address at the FIA Prize Giving ceremony, Lewis Hamilton shown his class by praising competitor Max Verstappen.
After finishing second in the championship, the Brit narrowly defeated Sergio Perez. However, Verstappen, who achieved a record-breaking third Formula 1 title, was far ahead of both of them.
The F1 accolades were withheld until Friday, when the top three drivers received their prizes at the end of the ceremony in Baku.
In order to receive the third-place trophy, Hamilton went up on stage first, and throughout his speech, he politely acknowledged his rivals.
“Good evening everyone, I just want to wish everyone a big, congratulations on this year,” stated the president. “The season has been quite long for everyone, and they are all eagerly anticipating the winter break. We’re putting in a ton of effort to ensure that we return stronger than before next year.
I have to congratulate Red Bull, Verstappen, and Checo on their outstanding performance this year. Max Verstappen performed flawlessly. We have a lot of work ahead of us to bridge the gap, since Max and his team truly raised the barb but I truly do believe that we can close that gap.”
He continued to commend his Mercedes colleagues, saying, “I would also like to thank my team for not giving up this year. For the most part of the year, the automobile we began with was essentially a sister of the one from the previous year and wasn’t really enjoyable to drive. But everyone persisted in showing up every day, and that was what was most encouraging. For that reason, I hope we return the next year.”
Even though Hamilton was present at the FIA’s major end-of-season celebration, he was not very complimentary of the organization, despite his kindness for his competitors. In the pre-ceremony press conference, the seven-time world champion ripped into his hosts, alluding to the brief inquiry into Toto and Susie Wolff that dominated this week’s F1 news cycle.
“It is disappointing to witness the governing body questioning the integrity of one of the most amazing female leaders in our sport, without any evidence and without any questions asked, and then just apologizing at the end,” he stated.
“There is a constant fight to really improve diversity and inclusion within the industry, but it seems there are certain individuals within the leadership of the FIA that every time we make a step forward they’re trying to pull us back and that has to change.”
Additionally, he questioned the choice of location for the gala, saying, “Although I think Baku is a really beautiful place, I’m not sure if the FIA is really thinking about sustainability because so many people flew out here.” It would have been simpler to remain in Paris, where the FIA is currently located.”
