3
A number of Formula One drivers are backing Lewis Hamilton in the wake of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix controversy.
Hamilton was asked to increase his pace by his Mercedes team after he purposely slowed to put pressure on team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg.
Many have questioned Hamilton's tactics, but now a number of drivers, past and present, have leapt to the defence of the three-time champion.
"Tactics are a part of racing as much as anything else and it happens in other sports all the time," said 1979 champion Jody Sheckter..
Quadruple world champion Alain Prost agreed, saying that Hamilton did nothing wrong.
"In the regulations, there is nothing that says you have to drive as fast as you can. It was not dangerous, like braking in the corners, in fact is was good -- it was well done," he said.
"I was afraid that in the last laps we would see something unfair or dirty, but we didn't," he told Canal Plus.
Gerhard Berger also backed Hamilton, despite being a key player in Nico Rosberg's contract negotiations earlier this season.
"It was not unfair," he told Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper. "I would even go further and say that Hamilton was quite fair. He had to play this card, and he could have played it more extremely."
And current Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat said: "I would say that every driver would have done something similar, including Nico.
"So no one should condemn it," the Russian told Austrian television Servus TV.
It doesnt matter what any driver thinks.
In the fans eyes, he drove dirty.
So @STIGSSON, sins when do you speak in the name of all the fans?
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
M. Verstappen
C. Sainz jr
C. Leclerc
Bahrain
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
Australia
Albert Park
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
Monaco
Monte Carlo
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Austria
Red Bull Ring
United Kingdom
Silverstone
Hungary
Hungaroring
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Italy
Monza
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Brazil
Interlagos
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
64,096 comments on Alpine F1
2 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Daniil Kvyat
613,587 comments on Mercedes 57 members have this team as their favourite Tweets about Mercedes
StigsSon
Posts: 35
It doesnt matter what any driver thinks.
In the fans eyes, he drove dirty.