BUDAPEST, Hungary — A day after calling himself “useless,” Lewis Hamilton said he’s facing issues “in the background” after another difficult Formula 1 race.
Hamilton finished 12th Sunday, the same place he’d qualified the day before, a result which had prompted him to call himself “absolutely useless” and suggest Ferrari might consider changing drivers.
His race was a world away from teammate Charles Leclerc, who was disappointed with fourth after starting on pole.
“When you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There’s a lot going on in the background that is not great,” Hamilton told British broadcaster Sky Sports after the race when asked to explain his comments from a day before. Asked if he’d lost his love of racing, Hamilton said no.
In response to a question about seemingly being forced off the track by old rival Max Verstappen, a standout moment in an otherwise largely quiet race for Hamilton, he said: “I don’t really remember it, to be honest.”
Verstappen was investigated over the incident, but not punished. Hamilton “waived his right to attend the hearing,” the ruling from the stewards said.
A representative for Ferrari speaking on Hamilton’s behalf “confirmed that there was no contact between both cars and further stated that the driver of Car 44 (Hamilton) chose not to attempt to remain on track,” the stewards added.
A statement issued by Ferrari after the race included comments from Hamilton saying he’d “recharge” over the four-week break until the Dutch Grand Prix.
“It’s been a challenging weekend and one to move on from. We weren’t able to make the progress we hoped for but I’m grateful for the effort everyone in the team put in throughout the weekend,” Hamilton said in the statement.
“Now we head into the break. I’ll be using the time to reset, recharge and come back stronger. I’m not where I want to be yet, but the fight’s not over — don’t count me out.”
It was a frustrating day overall for Ferrari as Leclerc lost pace in the second half of the race and went from fighting for the win to dropping off the podium altogether after a hard-fought battle with George Russell of Mercedes.
In a lengthy radio message, Leclerc suggested Ferrari was not listening to him in an “incredibly frustrating” situation and that the car had become “undriveable.”
After the race, though, Leclerc said he’d been mistaken.
“I spoke too quickly, I guess,” he told Sky Sports, and said he’d been informed after the race that there had been a problem with his car’s chassis.
