Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton polarizes opinion and might not get the recognition he deserves, but history will appreciate his greatness, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said on Friday.
The Briton has been making headlines with his criticism of former F1 drivers who commentate on races for Sky Sports.
“I feel all drivers deserve more credit and respect especially from the old ex-drivers that commentate,” Hamilton said on Instagram on Friday, returning to a grievance he first made after winning in the wet from 14th place in Germany last weekend.
Hamilton had earlier in the week said in another Instagram post that he subsequently deleted that “not a single one of them could find a good thing to say” about his performance at Hockenheim.
He said he deleted the comment when he heard more supportive remarks afterward.
Wolff told reporters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that Hamilton was “authentic,” wore his heart on his sleeve and was free to unwind as he saw fit — even if that was just staying at home to watch reruns of his race rather than celebrating.
“Positive headlines don’t sell any newspapers and don’t generate any clicks, and I think that he is a polarizing sportsman that sells papers,” the Austrian said.
“I just think that in the here and now, great achievements are never recognized in the way they should be recognized,” Wolff said. “In five or 10 years we will be looking back and saying we were part of an amazing driver’s journey that will fill books, but this is just the way it goes and I think he knows that.”
Even seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was criticized at his peak for predictable victories that some said had turned the sport into “Formula Yawn.”
Hamilton on Thursday said he felt the commentators had missed key elements of the race, including just how much time he had been making up on Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel before the German crashed.
“It wasn’t being explained properly, the difference I was making, the different lines that I would choose,” Hamilton told reporters. “As we had former racing drivers commentating, I would have thought that they’d pick those things out, but they didn’t.”
Hamilton’s sensitivity about the subject surprised some, with the four-time world champion now in his 12th season in the sport and priding himself on his mental toughness.
His emotion and intensity at Hockenheim were also highlighted after his car broke down in qualifying.
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