Lewis Hamilton impressed by "caring" Romain Grosjean following clear-the-air talks

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton impressed by "caring" Grosjean following clear-the-air talks

The two drivers discussed plans for furthering the anti-racism cause

Ian Parkes

Thursday 30 July 2020 20:12

Lewis Hamilton has praised Romain Grosjean for acknowledging his wrongdoing in the anti-racism furore that preceded the recent Hungarian Grand Prix.

Grosjean and Hamilton spent 45 minutes on the phone to one another on the Tuesday after the race at the Hungaroring to clear the air after the six-time F1 champion criticised the Haas driver for what he perceived as negativity towards staging a protest pre-race.

The Frenchman has confirmed that in his role as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, he was speaking up on behalf of those drivers who felt it unnecessary to continue with such action after it had been performed in the season-opening race in Austria, rather than acting of his own accord and also using his influence on them.

Article continues under video

During the discussion, Grosjean has revealed he said sorry to Hamilton.

"I was impressed by the conversation we had afterwards, and his approach to our conversation," said Hamilton.

"He originally reached out to me to talk after the last race, and so I gave him a call and we had this great conversation.

"I think ultimately it was quite informative for both of us, and we learned that we have more in common than we perhaps think.

"He's clearly a caring person, so to hear he said that, it's not easy, firstly, for anybody to admit, that they're wrong, and that's a great first step.

"The fact is, when we got off the phone, I knew that we're united and we're going to be working towards the same common goal, so I'm really, really appreciative to Romain.

"That's really what it's going to take all of us to do, to open up our minds, don't put up barriers, don't be defensive. Acknowledging there is an issue is sometimes the first step, and then working towards how we can make it better."

For this weekend's British Grand Prix, the FIA has created a time slot in the pre-race schedule for all the drivers to participate in a protest, and in a manner they feel appropriate, whether that is taking a knee or other gesture.

Like Grosjean, Hamilton has confirmed speaking to FIA president Jean Todt, F1 CEO Chase Carey, and GPDA chairman Alex Wurz as to the way forward.

"At the last race, I said I was going to speak to the heads of the sport and try and engage with them to see how we can move forwards [by being] more united," added Hamilton.

"So I spent time talking to Alex [Wurz, GPDA chairman], I spoke to Jean, Chase and Ross [Brawn, F1 managing director motorsports]. I had really great conversations with them to understand what they're planning and what they want to do moving forwards, and making sure they know we're all on the same team.

"Things like giving us that little bit of extra time, for example, before a race so that we can really show how united we are as a sport because other sports have done a better job.

"They've been really open-minded, and I do think it really needs to continue through the year, and so I believe, at the moment, that's what we are going to continue to do.

"I believe there has been some pushback, some teams maybe, but again, it's a work in progress to get us all together, and I think it's going in the right direction."

Before you go...

Concerned Vettel feels for ailing Ferrari

Norris to run British GP helmet designed by a six-year-old