Hamilton holds no grudge against Verstappen: "Has nothing to do with him"

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was never watched back in front of the television by Lewis Hamilton. The 37-year old driver informed several media outlets, including GPblog, after the unveiling of the W13. Furthermore, Hamilton says that he does not blame Max Verstappen at all for what happened in the final laps at the Yas Marina Circuit last season.

Hamilton did not watch race back

In an online press event with GPblog and others, Hamilton was asked if he ever watched the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix back. "[The experience] was clear in my mind," the seven-time world champion replied. "Of course, it replayed in my mind a lot in the weeks after the race."

Verstappen received congratulations from Hamilton on the podium. For himself, it's all a bit of a blur for the British driver of what played out after he stepped out of his W12. "I don’t remember what I said to Max, it’s all a bit of a blur. I’ve not revisited it, I don’t want to go backwards, I want to look forwards. Whilst we can’t change the past, nothing will ever change the way and how I felt at the time, and how I feel about the situation."

Keeping an eye on the FIA

In any case, Hamilton said that he is happy with the measures taken by the FIA to prevent any repetition in the future. However, the seven-time world champion wants to keep monitoring it closely, because the beautiful plans still have to become reality.

"It’s good to see the FIA take steps to make improvements. I think accountability is key and we have to take this moment to ensure it doesn’t happen again in this sport. Everything said yesterday by the FIA, I welcome that but we have to keep a close eye to ensure we are seeing those changes. That rules are applied fairly and consistently," says Hamilton.

Hamilton looks forward to battle with Verstappen

The relationship between Verstappen and Hamilton has always been interesting, but the final stage in Abu Dhabi does not make Hamilton angry or resentful of the current world champion. Indeed, Hamilton realises all too well that Verstappen, as a driver himself, also had no influence on what happened. "This has nothing to do with Max. 

He continues: "max did everything a driver would do given the opportunity he was given. He’s a great competitor and we will go into another battle like last year and we will grow from our races and experiences we had last year through the season. No issues with him," Hamilton concluded.