Published 18:21 IST, October 13th 2020
Lewis Hamilton takes a dig at F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart with 'bee in the bonnet' jibe
After Sir Jackie Stewart downplayed Lewis Hamilton's win record, the 35-year-old driver hit back at the legend with a 'bee in the bonnet' comment.
Lewis Hamilton on Sunday equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 F1 victories, with the 35-year-old winning the Eifel Grand Prix. After the victory, Lewis Hamilton was praised by many for the achievement, with a host of fans hailing the Brit as one of the greatest drivers of all time. However, F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart does not quite agree with those claims, as he suggested that Lewis Hamilton had an unfair advantage due to the dominant nature of the Mercedes car. Hamilton chose to hit back at Sir Jackie Stewart’s claims this week.
What did Sir Jackie Stewart say about the Hamilton record?
Ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix, while speaking on Lewis Hamilton’s win record, Sir Jackie Stewart said that he doesn’t consider the 35-year-old amongst the three greatest F1 drivers of all time. Sir Jackie Stewart picked Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna as his top three drivers, as he said that it is difficult to compare drivers belonging to different eras. While he admitted that Lewis Hamilton drives very well, Sir Jackie Stewart downplayed Hamilton's win record, suggesting that the Mercedes car gives him a superior advantage that is almost unfair on the rest of the field.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton hits back at Sir Jackie Stewart
After equaling Michael Schumacher’s record on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton took a subtle dig at Sir Jackie Stewart’s comments. After Sunday’s race, Lewis Hamilton admitted that he gets knocked by many people, particularly older drivers. Lewis Hamilton claimed that the older drivers still have a ‘bee in their bonnet’ when it comes to talking about his achievements, as he hoped that things will change in the future.
Lewis Hamilton pointed out that even though past drivers continue to speak negatively about him, he holds them in high regard. He claimed that he has huge respect for them because he realizes that their records in the past and in a different era were very difficult to achieve. While concluding on the controversy, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he will have a different approach when he looks back at drivers from a different era, taking a thinly veiled dig at Sir Jackie Stewart’s criticism.
The Mercedes F1 driver promised that he will not be talking down any of his contemporaries coming through and succeeding, as he explained that as older drivers, it is their responsibility to shine the light as bright as possible.
Image Credits: Sir Jackie Stewart Instagram, Mercedes-AMG F1 Instagram
Updated 18:21 IST, October 13th 2020