Lewis Hamilton has been in Formula 1 for over fifteen years. In that time period, he has taken championships, wins, podiums, records, and whatnot. But all those laurels did not come without a fight and certainly, at many times, the fight for glory got ugly. Despite the odds, Lewis has always managed to climb the top step of the podium and etch his name as one of the greatest drivers.

Back in 2017, Hamilton was invited to The Jonathan Ross show where he was asked about his view on his rivalry with Sebastian Vettel. He was also asked a question that threw him off-guard. 

Lewis Hamilton talks about rivalry and respect

As the show progressed, Jonathan Ross asked Lewis’s view on the rivalry with Sebastian Vettel. “Ultimately I think it’s important to respect the people you are competing with,” said the Mercedes driver. 

“He is an incredible athlete and truly one of the best drivers we have seen in the sport. But it is great to see some of the weaknesses come through this year and I am grateful for the one in the recent.” 

But the question that caught Lewis off was when Ross jokingly asked, “I don’t know what the technical term in F1 is, but who is the biggest a**hole?”. This certainly caused Lewis to crack up and laugh out loud. Not just that, but even the audience joined in on the hilarity, as even Lewis couldn’t even choose. 

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However, Hamilton turned the question and asked Ross who he thought was one. Comedian Mel Brooks chimed in and said, “Probably a German”, in reference to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Truly a night to remember for the Briton. 

Hamilton delves into teammates and working relationship

In the same segment, Lewis Hamilton also discussed his new teammate at the time, Valtteri Bottas. “It’s an unusual scenario in Formula 1 and you’re in a team and you’re supposed to be teammates,” Lewis started out saying. 

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“However, there’s two championships. There’s one championship of drivers’ one you want to win and the other guy wants to stab you in the back if anything so.” 

But Lewis clarified that it’s all about maintaining a working relationship and mutual respect between the two drivers. And since then, Lewis and Valtteri had one of the most successful driver pairings in F1. Although Valtteri has now left Mercedes, the respect between the two drivers seems to be there.