Hamilton sympathises with Red Bull staff: 'I know what this is like myself'

Formula 1 has never been immune from intrigue and controversy, but in recent weeks, peripheral issues have become more important than racing. For instance, the Christian Horner affair continues to simmer in the paddock, while now FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has also come under fire. There are allegations he interfered in the outcome of a Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, who has been active in the sport for 18 years, finds it sad to see what is happening.

"As someone who loves the sport, it's definitely disappointing to see what's going on right now," said Hamilton. "It doesn’t look good from the outside world. I think it's a really, really important time for the sport to show and stick to its values, holding ourselves accountable for our actions. It's just a really, really pivotal moment in terms of what we project and how it's handled."

On the latter, the Mercedes driver draws a harsh conclusion: "And it's not been handled very well to this point, and I think transparency is really key. It highlights some of the issues that we also have within the sport, when we're talking about diversity and inclusion, that inclusion, making people feel comfortable in this environment, it’s clearly not the case."

Hamilton remembers McLaren in similar situation

Hamilton believes the situation with Horner is damaging not only for the sport but also for the Red Bull Racing team. "Just from my experience, obviously, having gone through something similar back in the day when I was at McLaren, in the sense that our leader was just going through a difficult time and the effect that it would have. When we were losing Ron [Dennis], for example, and things that Ron was going through, and the steps that we had to take, it affected us."

"So a leader is super important. They set the tone, they make sure the team sticks to the core values of what sport is about, and integrity, and whilst there are loads of people further down who are just as important, that is key, I think, to the destination that they work towards," Hamilton said.