Emerson Fittipaldi says Lewis Hamilton needs to tone down his aggression when overtaking, as it’s putting other drivers at risk.
Fittipaldi, a two-time champion with Lotus and McLaren, believes Hamilton put fellow Brazilian, Felipe Massa, in a ‘difficult position’ when he attempted to pass at the hairpin in Monaco.
“I think Lewis is an outstanding talent, world champion, but he is still sometimes very aggressive when he overtakes,” Fittipaldi told TotalRace. “It was like that in Monaco with Felipe [Massa], he drove half on the pathway, putting Felipe in a difficult position, to say the least.
“He put Felipe in a position of risk. I think we have to have a limit on how aggressive [drivers] can be, respect each other. You can be competitive, but you have to respect each other.”
This isn’t good news for the McLaren driver as the 64-year-old is sitting on the board of stewards at the Canadian GP, so Hamilton must ensure he doesn’t make any risky moves which Fittipaldi might deem over-aggressive.
When asked about the comparison between Hamilton and Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian wasn’t so sure and even questioned the 2008-champions moves during the Belgium GP in 2007 which saw the stewards demote Hamilton to third, despite him crossing the line first.
“Ayrton was also a very aggressive rider,” said Fittipaldi. “But I do not remember seeing him doing what Lewis did, not only in Monaco, but if you go back three years ago, I think it was the Belgian GP at Spa, he also made some very critical maneuvers with Raikkonen. You see it’s not a normal thing to do that kind of aggressive driving.”
He did however admit it was entertaining for the fans at home and at the track.
“I think he is spectacular, from the standpoint of the public who are watching on TV or in the circuit, it is nice to have a spectacular rider in the race, it’s part of the show, but you have to respect each other.”
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