Lewis Hamilton issued an off-air apology to Sky Sports presenter Rachel Brookes following his downbeat interview following the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Ferrari driver came home in seventh but was bumped up one place after Max Verstappen careered into George Russell, an incident which saw him demoted down to 10th.
Unable to keep up with the two McLarens and Verstappen, Hamilton was told to let Charles Leclerc pass him early in the race, giving his team-mate a leg up as he went on to finish third.
Hamilton’s frustrations were increased when he was passed by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg on the penultimate lap of the race.
The 40-year-old, who joined Ferrari on a £40million-deal this year, was visibly frustrated when interviewed by Brookes for Sky Sports after the race.
Pressed on his comment over team radio that there was ‘something wrong’ with his car, and for his immediate reaction to the race, Hamilton replied: ‘Not particularly, it was not a great day. The strategy was good, the team did a great job. Just, that’s it.’
Lewis Hamilton was involved in a terse interview with Sky Sports on at the Spanish Grand Prix
Hamilton reportedly apologised to reporter Rachel Brookes following the post-race interview
Hamilton had said he had ‘a really bad day’ and added that he had got ‘nothing to say’
Brookes then told Hamilton: ‘I hate seeing you in this mood.’
Hamilton quickly responded, replying: ‘Well what do you want me to say? I had a really bad day and I’ve got nothing to say.
‘It was a difficult day, I’ve got nothing else to add to it. There’s no point explaining it. It’s not your fault, I’ve just not got anything to say.’
Brookes admitted she hopes Ferrari will be able to find a fix for his woes, but Hamilton said: ‘I’m sure they won’t, the answer is probably just me.’
Sky Sports commentator David Croft, speaking on The Fast and The Curious podcast, has now revealed Hamilton had apologised to Brookes off-camera for the nature of the interview.
‘[Lewis Hamilton] was really down on himself, and no one likes to see that because at the end of the day, whether you’re a fan or not, Lewis Hamilton is the greatest racing driver we’ve ever seen,’ Croft said.
‘Statistically, he is the greatest. I think he’s the greatest even without the stats. He wears his heart on his sleeve and should be applauded for that because it does a lot of good when he wears his heart on his sleeve.
‘He did apologise to Rachel Brookes for being so down in the dumps off camera. He said, “I’m really sorry about that, I’m just so down”.
Hamilton expressed frustration at his sixth place finish as his wait for a podium goes on
The seven-time world champion cut a dejected figure in parc ferme after his fresh setback
Hamilton was told to let Charles Leclerc pass him before his team-mate took third place
‘And that just shows the extent that he really was down. He’s not putting this on for the cameras, trust me. And once again, it’s right after the race. He’s not had time for a debrief. He’s not had time to have a chat with his race engineer.
‘So he probably didn’t know the extent of whatever damage the car had at the time he spoke to Rachel.
‘And he probably didn’t realise that it was the car that was hindering him more so than his driving in that one.
‘And look, when you’re in a Ferrari and you’re overtaken by Nico Hülkenberg, albeit in a Ferrari-powered Sauber, you’re going to question, ‘Is it me really? Am I doing something wrong here?’ Because it just didn’t go for him really from the outset.’
Reports have since claimed Hamilton had picked up floor damage during the race, which may have impacted his Ferrari in the closing stages on Sunday.
Hamilton currently trails Ferrari team-mate Leclerc by 23 points in the drivers’ championship, with the seven-time world champion is sixth in the overall standings.
Hamilton has finished six of his first nine Ferrari races outside of the top five since making the lucrative move.
