Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has clarified some of his recent comments about Andretti ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix after welcoming the prospect of increased competition earlier this week.
Lewis Hamilton has clarified his view on Andretti Global’s bid to enter Formula 1 after being questioned ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion expressed his support for the US team’s bid to become 11th on the grid – a position he admitted some in the sport “will not be happy with”. heart”.
He told reporters earlier this week:
“I think it’s great. I think in F1 I always feel like there aren’t enough cars on the track. Surely there will be people who won’t be happy when I support them so much! But I think it’s great.
“It’s an opportunity for more jobs, two more seats for potential drivers. It opens up more possibilities and I think the racing will be more interesting.”
However, the Mercedes driver took the opportunity to clarify his comments on Friday after making clear on social media that he was in favor of having more competition on the grid, rather than especially Andretti.
Speaking in Qatar, Hamilton said of Andretti’s offer:
“Yeah, first of all, it’s not that I support Andretti. I think from a driver’s point of view, it’s interesting to be able to see more cars.” And then the idea of an 11th team, we have over 2,000 people on our team, so that represents a huge amount of work.
We must ensure that these rather strict criteria are actually respected. I think we really need to change the criteria and make sure that there’s an opportunity to make a real impact, make sure that if there’s a new team that it’s diverse. You know, they need to give a female driver a chance to stand out. And it must be diverse from top to bottom. Currently, all the owners are white and there is a real lack of diversity from top to bottom. Everything is masculine. And that must change. That was my thought.”
Hamilton then backed F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who will have a say in decision-making. Several other offers have been rejected by the FIA, leaving Andretti in pole position, but it remains to be seen when – or if – their proposal will become a reality. Hamilton added:
“I’m actually 100th in Stefano. I’ve known him for a long time. I think what he does at the top, no one can do better than him. I know he will come out on top. Decided make the right decision to move forward.
He is a runner and passionate about growing the sport. I’m happy to leave it in his talented hands. »