26/05/2011
NEWS STORY
Having previously claimed that Michael Schumacher blocked him during the Spanish GP in an effort to help Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton now insists that Toro Rosso is out to thwart him.
In the run up to this weekend's race in Monaco, the Daily Mirror claimed that Hamilton was "fuming" following an incident in the latter stages of last weekend's race.
The British tabloid quotes Hamilton as saying that this weekend's event in Monaco is his team's best chance of giving Red Bull a "bloody nose".
"It's going to be the toughest it has ever been especially with the degradation of the tyres, the marbles and people moving off line," says the McLaren driver.
While the rest of us are under the impression that Schumacher moved aside allowing both drivers through - which is supported by their lap times - the Mirror asks Hamilton if he had words with the German. "I didn't want to waste my time or my breath," is the icy response.
Schumacher totally denies the claim, telling reporters yesterday: "I don't recall it and I don't think it would make sense because I think I have a lot more... although Seb is my friend, but then Lewis is running a Mercedes engine and that's obviously a lot more important to me, not that I try to favour or not favour anybody. No, that certainly must have been a misunderstanding, but not my idea. I try to keep out of everybody's way and just do my own thing."
So now, Hamilton has turned his attention to Toro Rosso, Red Bull's 'sister team', claiming that at Barcelona Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari also attempted to delay him during his fight with Vettel.
"They let Vettel past and then they held me up," he told reporters. "Definitely in the last race there was some of that, all of a sudden they were moving in my way, causing a bigger gap.
"The gap that I closed to him (Vettel) I lost," he continued. "That wasn't cool. If that continues to happen then some penalties should probably be handed out. I just hope that the stewards are wary of it."