Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris’ cooldown room exchange in Hungary grabbed a lot of headlines, but the former tried to play it down, deeming the conversation as an “age thing“. However, 1996 Champion Damon Hill said he found it weird.
Hamilton praised Norris and McLaren’s efforts in the race, calling them quick. But instead of being appreciative, Norris snapped back, reminding Hamilton that Mercedes was once very dominant as well. Taken aback, Hamilton had to insist that he was not complaining, but complimenting the Woking-based outfit.
Hill referred to Norris’ words as dismissive but praised Hamilton for being mature following the McLaren driver’s response.
Hill, on his X account, said,
“Yeah. It was a bit weird though. Dismissive even? LH giving a typically generous and mature interpretation on it.”
LH: “Phew! You guys are fast”
LN:: “You had a fast car 7 years ago…”
LH: : “7 years ago? long time. Were you here seven years ago?”
LN: “You had a quick car, and now it’s us.”
LH: “I wasn’t complaining, I was complimenting your car.” pic.twitter.com/VsZfPtjdmI
— deni (@fiagirly) July 21, 2024
Having been a part of F1 for over 15 years, Hamilton understands the pressure that comes with each race. There was a time he too, let emotions get the better of him but now he has matured with experience.
As such, even though Norris’ reply to Hamilton was harsh, he understood where it came from.
2024 has been frustrating for Norris, despite it being the best season of his F1 career so far. The 24-year-old was the favorite to win several races this year, but the opportunities got thrown away because of poor strategies or mistakes. In Hungary, he was put in a race-winning situation because of McLaren’s error, but was then ordered to concede P1.
Norris did not appreciate this, and even though he didn’t say a lot about it publicly, he seemed edgy.
For McLaren, however, it was a good day. Norris let Oscar Piastri overtake him on the penultimate lap of the race, which allowed McLaren to finish 1-2 – their first since 2021.
They also cut down the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship to just 51 points, which showed how quick they have been, as Hamilton pointed out.
