It is no secret that Lewis Hamilton is a proponent of being a vegan, with many adopting the lifestyle in recent years. However, it seems that one of his fellow drivers is not particularly fond of that approach.

According to Haas driver Romain Grosjean, a vegan diet can adversely affect an athlete. This is especially true for endurance athletes and their performance and even their health.

Admittedly, Lewis Hamilton has been quite open about his conversion to veganism. In fact, recently, he launched a new vegan burger chain in London, called Neat Burger.

While Grosjean revealed that he still watches his diet, he enjoys being able to carry more weight for the sake of his health.

Grosjean said, “I don’t eat as much as I will when I retire. The new rules have been very welcome in terms of health and weight, putting a bit of weight on for your benefit and health.

“I am careful with some of the food that I take, you won’t see me eating fish and chips, stuff like that, and drinking beers the day before a race.”

However, the Frenchman, who is an avid cook and has his own cookbook, firmly stated that a vegan diet is “not an option” for him. He warned that it has a negative effect on athletes and their performance, especially in long-distance events.

He continued, “I’m not vegan or vegetarian. It’s not an option. If you’re an athlete, veganism is actually negative. From what I know, there were examples from many endurance athletes going vegan.

He went on to confirm that many were forced to abandon their vegan diet owing to the lack of nutrition for high demand exercises. While Grosjean loves triathlons, cycling and long sessions, he needs to eat as much as possible.

However, in spite of his criticism in terms of implementation in an athlete’s diet, he respect vegans and admitted that it tastes quite good.