After being booed on the Red Bull Ring podium after winning the Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was adamant he won the race fairly despite colliding with his Mercedes teammate and main title rival Nico Rosberg.
The pair raced towards the tight Turn 2, on the final of 71 laps, with Rosberg on the inside line missed his braking point, went straight and beyond the normal turn in point which in turn forced Hamilton wide. But the two collided, with Rosberg’s front wing disintegrating on impact.
Hamilton said afterwards, “I don’t feel it was controversial. Nico mad a mistake into Turn 1, clipped the kerb and went wide. I got a good run on him, he blocked the inside and I went outside.”
“I was on racing line, he was on my blind side, I assumed he was there. I went very wide and as I started to turn, I was on edge of the track and he collided with me. My guys said he had something up with the brakes, maybe, I am not sure exactly what happened, I came back onto the track as quick as I could.”
When asked about the booing directed at him on the podium, Hamilton said, “Of course it’s not great, especially as how much I love it here… To have that kind of feeling for a country and then have that response when you have a win, for sure it’s not the greatest – but I forgive them.”
“Sometimes that’s just the way it is, I don’t judge them for that. They have the right to have an opinion, I’m not quite sure why they have done it but it doesn’t really make any difference to me. I won the race fair and square.”
Hamilton arrived in Austria trailing Rosberg by 24 points but with victory, and Rosberg’s fourth place he is now 11 points behind, which he revealed was part of the plan for the weekend at Red Bull Ring.
The reigning world champion admitted, “It was all guns blazing, I needed those points, I can’t afford to lose any points, so I was pushing as hard as I could and luckily I got as close as I could on the last lap and Nico made a mistake and I tried to capitalise on it.”
“I don’t know if it was a mistake he made at Turn 2, I think it may have been his brake issue but we collided and obviously I was still able to continue to go so I didn’t have any problems fortunately.
“I was just really grateful, I didn’t give up, I kept pushing. I felt I really enjoyed the race, this is what racing is about, it’s about close battles and difficult times and challenges ahead but the most important thing is to keep your head up and keep going.”
After the race Rosberg was under investigation by the race stewards for the collision.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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