Breaking news
Formula 1 Canadian GP
Hamilton: I would've done the same as Vettel
Lewis Hamilton says he would have done the same as Sebastian Vettel in the Canadian GP had their positions been reversed.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Jun 10, 2019, 6:37 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Vettel received a five-second penalty for rejoining the track unsafely and forcing a driver off the track after he went wide over the grass while running just ahead of Hamilton.
Read Also:
- Analysis: The reason Vettel was punished in Canada
- Furious Vettel hits out at "blind" Canadian GP stewards
The penalty meant that the Mercedes driver just has to sit behind the Ferrari to the flag in order to guarantee the win.
"I watched the replays," said Hamilton. "It's obviously very close. What I can say is if I was in the lead and I made a mistake and went wide, I probably would have done the same thing.
"It happens so quick, and you're just trying to hold position. And when I say I'd do the same, I would have tried to squeeze him too.
"That's ultimately what happened today. So my opinion on that has not shifted. Regarding the rules, say you didn't have that rule, I would have kept it lit, and we would have crashed. One way or not it was going to go badly."
Asked about his radio comment at the time – when he told his engineer that Vettel had rejoined the track in a dangerous way – he said he stood by that opinion.
"Usually the first instinct is often the right one, I would say. When I watched the replay and had a look at my data I had to brake at the exit of Turn 4. There was a hazard there, and if I had not done that, we would have crashed. I don't feel any different about that.
"The thing is from a driver's point of view you know how it goes. It's different when you're watching as a viewer, but as a driver thing go wrong, and it's 'shoot,' you try and squeeze so that they don't lose position.
"It's a natural instinct that we have. You're not going to go, 'Actually I'm going to pull to the left and let them bloody go by.'
"He did block me, but unfortunately he went off track, and the way the rules are written, that's how it's prescribed."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article FIA hopes to break 2021 rules deadlock in Paris summit
Next article Vettel penalty "fully deserved," says Rosberg
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 10, 2024
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 d
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
3 d
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
More from
Mercedes
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Formula 1
Formula 1 4 h
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
‘I’ll put a pillow under his butt’ – How Toto Wolff wants to solve Kimi Antonelli’s track limits problem
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 d
‘I’ll put a pillow under his butt’ – How Toto Wolff wants to solve Kimi Antonelli’s track limits problem
Latest news
Franco Morbidelli on securing most coveted WSBK ride: 'Clearly Ducati has some trust in me'
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Japanese GP
1 h
Franco Morbidelli on securing most coveted WSBK ride: 'Clearly Ducati has some trust in me'
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
DTM
DTM DTM
Hockenheim
2 h
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe