Lewis Hamilton explains frosty cooldown room chat with Lando Norris

Lewis Hamilton says his icy cooldown room exchange with Lando Norris after the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix “didn’t bother me”.

After McLaren secured their first 1-2 finish since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri claiming his maiden F1 victory ahead of teammate Norris, Hamilton attempted to compliment Norris.

“You guys are fast,” Hamilton said in the Budapest cooldown room.

“Yeah, well you had a fast car seven years ago,” Norris retorted. 

Hamilton replied: “Seven years ago? That’s a long time. Were you even here seven years ago?”

To which, Norris added: “Well you had it. You had a quick car. You made the most of it. Now it’s us.”

But the seven-time world champion downplayed the awkward exchange in his media session on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“It didn’t bother me, no,” Hamilton explained. “Look, I’m nearly 40 years old, so I remember being in my mid-twenties and I remember, when I go back and look at things that I said that I would have said differently or I would have reacted differently.

“I noticed, when you come out of the race, when you feel like you should have won, your emotions are firing. So I see that and I’m like, it’s an age thing and I don’t take it personally. And I think ultimately, all us drivers, all us competitors, we do put a lot of pressure on ourselves. That’s how we do what we do.

“So I don’t think you can be particularly great without putting pressure on yourself. You’ve got to aim high and if you fail and you’re like, that’s the greatest thing ever and you’re really relaxed about it, I don’t think you’re ever going to naturally achieve what you intend to achieve.

“Can you be too hard on yourself? For sure. There was a time when I didn’t leave my room for three days when I was his age, so I know what it’s like. And that wasn’t healthy for me, but I don’t think I’ve ever looked at myself in the mirror for three days at the moment.

“I hope he doesn’t. I think what’s important is that we continue to do what we’re doing. The drivers are great. They’ve got a great car.”

Hamilton was then asked if he thought McLaren’s decision to instruct Norris to give up the lead to Piastri was the right call.

“It’s not my call to make,” he stressed. “I mean, if that was Max, he wouldn’t have let him pass. I don’t know what to say. It’s not for me to decide.

“If I was in that situation, I would do what the team asked me to do, as hard as it is. Ultimately, because it’s not about you. It’s about the 2,000 people that you’re representing and working with.”