McLaren have told Lewis Hamilton to be less hard on himself after an inaugural Indian Grand Prix that again had the 2008 Formula One champion apologising profusely to team and sponsors.
The Briton collided with Ferrari’s Braziian Felipe Massa during the race, their sixth clash on track this season, after being demoted three places on the starting grid for ignoring warning flags in practice.
Race stewards ruled Massa was to blame for Sunday’s collision, handing him a drive through penalty, but Hamilton remained contrite about his own general performance over the weekend.
«I’ve had to apologise to the team,» the 26-year-old told television reporters after the race.
«I’m sorry for the team, they always do a great job every weekend, so to disappoint them like this … Just big apologies to the team, my sponsors, after yet another disastrous race. It’s been an eventful year.
«I just can’t apologise enough to my team for the negativity that surrounds me nowadays,» added Hamilton, who finished the race in seventh place and made a quick getaway afterwards.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh felt Hamilton should be easier on himself.
«Yes I do, frankly,» he told reporters. «I’ve told him that on several occasions. Don’t apologise. You’re a racing driver. If you’ve made a mistake accept it, learn from it, move on.»
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