World Champion Lewis Hamilton has clarified his comments after initially calling Sergey Sirotkin’s actions during qualifying in Brazil as “disrespectful.”
Hamilton and Sirotkin were preparing an out lap during Q2 when the pair almost came to blows on the section of track between Mergulho and Juncao at Interlagos.
Hamilton jinked left just as the closing Sirotkin committed to the same direction, with the Williams driver dipping two wheels onto the edge of the track in avoidance.
The incident was not investigated by stewards and Hamilton went on to take pole position while Sirotkin finished as the slowest of the Q2 contenders.
Hamilton initially called the move “disrespectful” while Sirotkin played down the incident.
On Sunday morning Hamilton opted to clarify his opinion, commenting on social media: “I woke this morning feeling I should correct some of the words I used yesterday.
“I was wrong, it wasn’t a disrespectful move by Sergey, it was a misunderstanding and I honestly attempted to get out of his way.
“Didn’t work that well but shit happens and I respect the way he handled it.”
