With criticism coming from every corner in Formula 1, the fans, media, drivers, ex-drivers and team principals, Lewis Hamilton has finally found some support in his team-mate, Jenson Button, and Mercedes motorsport boss, Norbert Haug.
The two most recent critics come in the form of former-drivers, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi.
The former called the 26-year-old ‘mad’ during his RTL commentary on Sunday after he made contact with Mark Webber and Button.
“What Hamilton did there goes beyond all boundaries,” said Lauda. “He is completely mad.”
Fittipaldi is of a similar opinion: “He is still sometimes very aggressive when he overtakes.” On the subject of the Monaco GP, he added, “He put Felipe [Massa] in a position of risk, you have to respect each other.”
Button and Haug don’t share this view, with both praising his driving style and fighting spirit.
“Lewis is in the headlines a lot, and a lot of it is because he is bloody good,” the Press Association quote him as saying.
“He’s a racer, a fighter. For me that is the reason why I wanted to be here, against and with a driver that is super talented, one of the best drivers Formula 1 has ever seen.
“It’s good challenging him on the circuit. We have a lot of respect for each other, we’ve raced each other a lot this year, and last year, and we’ve never touched. We’ve always given each other room. For me that’s a great position to be in.
“So I don’t agree with what Niki has said. I think his driving style is aggressive and he always goes for gaps. Sometimes he’s right, sometimes he’s not, but it’s the same for all of us. He just finds himself in that situation more often than others.”
Haug, who worked with Hamilton during his rookie years, says the criticism will only make the 2008-world champion stronger.
“I understand Lewis perfectly and I will defend him,” Haug told Autosport. “He is a good driver, he is a friend and I do not share the criticism that is on him.
“We will support him and he is a great driver. There are phases that you have to go through.
“There are difficult times but he will deliver okay and he is one of the great guys in the field.
“Of course he gets a lot of criticism, but this will make him only stronger.”
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