Mercedes boss Norbert Haug defends Lewis Hamilton’s aggression in Canadian GP – Formula 1 news
Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug has backed McLaren’s Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and his driving style in the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix.
Haug added that the Brit will learn from his mistakes and will come out stronger from the criticism.
The last two races of the 2011 Formula 1 season saw Hamilton driving his MP4-26 to the limit but made contact more than once with other drivers.
This aggressive driving nature of Hamilton came under huge criticism with Niki Lauda saying that he should be penalised because his driving style is dangerous for other drivers on the grid and may lead to some fatality.
However, the Mercedes boss, who supply race engines to the McLaren team said, “I understand Lewis perfectly and I will defend him. He is a good driver, he is a friend and I do not share the criticism that is on him. We will support him and he is a great
driver. There are phases that you have to go through.”
Haug added, “There are difficult times but he will deliver okay and he is one of the great guys in the field. Of course he gets a lot of criticism, but this will make him only stronger.”
Before the 2011 season started, Hamilton said that Red Bull were just a drinks company and will not eclipse the glory of some of the older Formula 1 teams like McLaren and Ferrari.
However, soon after the season started, it became evident that the McLaren of Hamilton is much slower than the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
Since then, the Brit is in a fight of his own to run down the glory of Vettel but he is failing to do that with a slower car.
Taking out his frustration on the wet track of Montreal, Hamilton collided with his own teammate Jenson Button and ended up in the wall.
The Formula 1 season continues in Valencia after two weeks and it will be interesting to see how Hamilton performs there.
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