During his time in F1, Sebastian Vettel made a reputation for being one of the most charming drivers in the paddock. He was extremely passionate about the sport and was often seen having a look around at the cars of his opponents from up close. This led to fans affectionately calling him ‘Inspector Seb’. Now that he has retired, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton seems to have picked up where Vettel left off.
Ahead of the Monaco GP this weekend, pictures on social media surfaced, which showed Hamilton looking into the Aston Martin garage with a lot of interest. The Briton was seen bending forward and trying to get a closer look at the part of the garage belonging to Lance Stroll. Albert Fabrega posted the same on Twitter.
Mientras tanto en el paddock
Meanwhile in the paddock #f1 #monacogp pic.twitter.com/19l98mNyfY
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) May 25, 2023
Another fan was quick to point out that this was not an isolated incident. Lewis Hamilton has made a habit of inspecting other’s garages and is probably taking over the role of ‘Inspector Seb’.
lewis inspecting other teams cars is becoming a thing now 😂 pic.twitter.com/Tn0K2viqMq
— soph (@sophwebsterxx) May 25, 2023
Fans seem to love Inspector Lewis Hamilton
Formula 1 fans were absolutely delighted and had some amazing reactions to Hamilton taking over Vettel’s role. One of the fans pointed out how Fernando Alonso’s mechanic had spotted Lewis Hamilton trying to get a sneak peek into the garage.
Que imagen el mecánico de Magic partiéndose de la cotilla de Hamilton jajajajaja pic.twitter.com/bHovBvF3VI
— 💫🎩 (@magicalosso34) May 25, 2023
Another Twitter user, Quintino, sarcastically claimed that the garage that Hamilton was peeking into belongs to the best driver in Aston Martin. For context, Hamilton was looking into Lance Stroll’s garage.
Lewis observando el auto del mejor piloto de Aston Martin…
— Quintino (@Quintino20) May 25, 2023
Twitter user Cameron mentioned that someone has to take on the responsibility left behind by Sebastian Vettel.
Seb’s not around anymore. Someone’s gotta do it.
— Thee Cameron 💛 (@CameronTako) May 25, 2023
i’m all for inspector lewis continuing the scrutiny of inspector seb https://t.co/AwCMLXaGfx
— a harmless bunny (@harmlessbunny) May 25, 2023
Another fan spoke about despite rumors linking him to Ferrari, Hamilton seems to want Aston Martin on his resume.
Mientras todos sitúan a Hamilton en Ferrari, el británico se interesa por Aston Martin
— IscarF1 (@F1Iscar) May 25, 2023
Lewis Hamilton’s uncertain future
Lewis Hamilton’s future was the talk of the day on Thursday when all the drivers attended the pre-race press conference. It was reported before the weekend that Hamilton has apparently been offered a $50 million deal by Ferrari.
Fernando Alonso was asked whether Hamilton should move to Ferrari. To this the Spaniard had a very tongue-in-cheek response. He reminded everyone how Hamilton speaks about his ‘win together and lose together’ mantra. Therefore it would be ironic if Hamilton left Mercedes during this tough time.
Max Verstappen seemed to have a different take on the topic. The Dutchman claimed that this rumor will help Lewis Hamilton negotiate a better contract with Mercedes.
Hamilton on the other hand, insists that he will stay behind at Mercedes despite all the rumors.
