Hamilton better off being "polarising" than "boring" - Wolff
Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff says that it’s a positive if Lewis Hamilton polarises opinion, as that's better than if the five-time world champion was “boring.”
Wolff’s comments came in the light of a debate over Hamilton’s popularity in his home country, sparked by a controversial question regarding the perception of his 'Britishness' in a press conference at his local race.
“I think certainly racing in front of his home crowd in Silverstone he wants to do particularly well,” said Wolff. “And that puts an additional tension and intensity into the situation.
“For me many of the best sports stars in the world, they polarise. You will have heard similar comments about Serena Williams. Half of the people love her and want her to win everything, and the other ones cheer for the opponents.
“And I think you'd rather polarise than be down the middle and boring. That's my opinion.”
Hamilton was defended on social media by former footballer Rio Ferdinand, who said that the questions and criticism the F1 champion has faced were steeped in "racist undertones".
“I can understand his opinion and he has a right to that,” said Hamilton when told of Ferdinand’s message. “I think it’s not a route that I particularly want to go down.
“Every day is an opportunity to elevate and to shine and to do something new. My mum’s white, my dad’s black. I’ve got the best of both worlds. I’ve got supporters from all religions, all different ethnic backgrounds, and I love that hopefully I’m a part of helping bring people together that perhaps wouldn’t be together in the past.
“I’ve got fans that have met each other at a race, proposed in front of my car. I’ve got fans that have different groups around the world who have met people in their city and connected and watched the grands prix together and they would never have met before without me being here. And I’m really, really proud of that.”
Why McLaren is not missing Alonso
Mercedes takes fewest softs for Hungarian GP
Toyota WEC star Conway relishing Lexus Rolex 24 GTD outing
Toyota FIA World Endurance Championship star Mike Conway says he is relishing the chance to pick up "new skills" driving a Lexus GT3 car in this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Tandy: Night pace could fluctuate "dramatically" in Rolex 24
Porsche driver Nick Tandy is expecting the pace of GTP cars to change "quite dramatically" when they switch to the new cold-temperature Michelin tire in this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Diriyah E-Prix: Evans snatches top spot from Ticktum in FE FP3
Jaguar's Mitch Evans snatched top spot at the end of the Diriyah E-Prix's third free practice session, knocking Dan Ticktum off the top of the Formula E timing board.
Diriyah FE pole leaves Buemi "sad" at how Nissan spell ended
Sebastien Buemi says his pole position pace at the Diriyah E-Prix is "just the beginning", but conceded it left him "sad" at how his time with Nissan ended.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
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.