Lewis Hamilton said he would apologize to Charles Leclerc after not running the Ferrari team order to give a teammate position at the end of Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
On the overwhelming weekend of the Italian team, Leclerc allows Hamilton to rank 8th.
The switch was about an understanding that Hamilton would give back to Leclerc if Hamilton failed to attempt his development, but Brit did not slowly slow down the approach to the checker flag and was not completed ahead of LeclerC.
Hamilton said: “First, obviously I was faster (at the moment of race), but Charles is gracious to allow me.
“In the end, I actually got a message late, and I seemed to have entered the area in front of me despite the opportunity of 0.0001%. I was still hopeful.
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Hamilton was disappointed after taking 8th place in the Baku City Circuit.
“And basically I lifted up straight and actually brakes, but he missed it like a quarter.
“It’s just a misjudgment. I apologize to Charles. It’s 8 days and ninth after the day.”
LECLERC: Hamilton would not have respected the rules.
LECLERC insisted that it was not too disturbed by the incident due to the meaning of 8th and 9th differences, but questioned whether Hamilton had “respected” the rules of the team.
LECLERC said Sky Sports F1: “Honestly, P8 or P9 will not be a big word. I really don’t care.
“Obviously, these are common rules about how we want to work and how we want to work.
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Azerbaijan Grand Prix highlights of the Baku City Circuit
“It didn’t happen and it’s okay. P8 would have been much happier. So I don’t care.”
Leclerc talked to Baku’s written media, adding:
“But again, p8-P9, P9-P8, if we are fighting for a more sexy position, I hope it will work in a different way.”
‘Lewis was wrong’
Fred Vasseur, the Principal of Ferrari Team, insisted that it is “the best choice” to attempt to achieve the best results for the team.
Hamilton has closed the door in the three -way battle that ranks fifth between Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris, but ultimately the movement between the trio would have been needed before it.
If Lawson was passed by Tsunoda and Norris, Hamilton was likely to pass the Racing Bulls driver, but Red Bull and Mclaren both had fresh tires.
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Hamilton shook his head with distrust, when Ferrari teammate Leclerc knocked him in the second quarter of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Vasseur said: “I think the situation is clear for us, and I think it is clear that Lewis has the benefits of tires, and Charles asked to overtake Tsunoda and Lawson.
“Charles had a problem with (energy) recovery and we were not at the top with the engine.
“I think this is the best choice to do this.”
Vasseur has accepted Hamilton’s explanation for not recovering his position.
He added. “We asked for an exchange again and it seemed that Lewis misunderstood the position of the start/finish line.”
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