Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari/3rd) at Madring: Serious accusations from his rivals

After the first practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher concluded: “What Lewis Hamilton did out there today was unsportsmanlike towards his fellow drivers.”

Time and again, the Ferrari superstar got in his rivals’ way for no good reason. They reacted with corresponding enthusiasm.

The most diplomatic of them all was his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who said over the radio: “Let’s be careful here, er, I don’t think Lewis realised I was coming.”

The next victim of Hamilton’s slow driving: his British compatriot Arvid Lindblad. The Racing Bulls driver was forced to abort his fast lap; World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was also involved. Lindblad ranted: “The same two blokes, man! I don’t know what they’re up to. They’re just being stupid, right in the middle of a fast corner! That’s actually very dangerous. And that was the second time now.”

Now it was Carlos Sainz’s turn; the scene of the incident: once again Turn 12, better known as the Monumental. The Williams driver said: “He lets me past right in the middle of the bend – it’s always the same, so dangerous! It would be a piece of cake for him to drive two metres further to the left, but he really isn’t making any effort.”

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And then there was Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg, who felt the full force of Hamilton’s blocking manoeuvre in the final section of the track. “That’s just nasty,” said the Audi driver over the radio.

In the second practice session, there was a duel between Hamilton and Tsunoda. The Japanese driver exploded over the radio: “What on earth is that bloke doing?” It was no use at all that Hamilton pulled up alongside him to make an apologetic gesture.

Hamilton didn’t say a word about all the hair-raising moments and simply remarked: “The track is fun, and the first practice session laid a good foundation for our work. The longer the day went on, the harder I found it to keep the car within the optimal operating window. We need to improve the car’s balance.”