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Formula One F1 – Mexico City Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 7, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton before the race REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
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Formula One F1 – Mexico City Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 7, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton before the race REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Lewis Hamilton has often stressed that his top-most priority on the track is to stay as clean as possible. Some might reckon otherwise, considering his incident with Max Verstappen at Silverstone.
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To be fair to the Brit, on multiple occasions this season, Hamilton toned down his aggression and let go of the throttle while battling alongside the Dutchman. For instance, in Imola and Sao Paulo. When asked about the incidents, he would acknowledge it’s better to play safe against such aggressive drivers.
Interestingly, neither of his idols, Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher, embraced a clean career. Both possess a handful of controversial title-deciding moments throughout their F1 stints. Hence, why wouldn’t Hamilton want to follow in their footsteps? Well, let’s hear it from the 7-time world champion himself.
What did Lewis Hamilton say?
During an interview with Motorsport-Total, Hamilton revealed that his father is one of the biggest reasons why he never prefers to take the ugly route on the track. The Briton admitted that he was bullied a lot in school and on the track. Consequently, this pushed him to challenge the battles in the right way and not by crashing into others.
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Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 27, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after qualifying in second place Pool via REUTERS/Lars Baron
“That’s how my father raised me. He said I should always give the answer on the track. I was bullied as a kid, both in school and on the track, and we wanted her the right way not by breaking down a car or by a collision. Then they cannot deny that you are better,” he said.
Can’t deny what I’ve achieved: Hamilton
Hamilton opened up that, by being the cleanest driver, nobody could take away what he’s achieved in his career.
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Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 18, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in action during the race REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
“When it comes to collisions, they can say, ‘Oh yeah, but that happened, that’s a tactic that driver has.’ I want to be the cleanest driver, through speed, through hard work, and determination. So in the end you can’t deny what I’ve achieved,” the Mercedes driver concluded.
Overall, despite the handful of incidents with Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen, Hamilton has had a clean Formula 1 career so far. Would you grade Hamilton as one of the cleanest drivers in the history of F1?
Watch Story: Ugliest Moments in Hamilton-Rosberg Rivalry
