05/09/2022
NEWS STORY
"We are the sick bag, the trash bin," says Toto Wolff, as Lewis Hamilton apologises for radio outburst.
While we have grown used to the seven-time champion's questioning of team strategy over the years, Hamilton's expletive-laden outburst during the Dutch Grand Prix merely served to underline his growing frustration at a season which could see him fail to win a race for the first time since entering F1.
I can't believe you guys f****** screwed me," he said, after realising that teammate George Russell had pitted under the safety car, thereby leaving him exposed to Max Verstappen. "I can't tell you how f****** angry I am now!"
Speaking after the race, having allowed himself time to cool down, Hamilton apologised for his outburst.
"I don't want to apologise for my passion because that's just how I am made and I don't always get it right," he said. "I am sorry for my team for what I said because it was just an amazing moment.
"I want to look at the glass half full," he continued. "We have got so many positives to take from this weekend. Yes, I got fourth in the end, but the car felt great. If the car feels like this at the other races we're going to be fighting for a win... and that's amazing.
"The pit stops were great," he added. "It was the fastest pit stops the team had done all year.
Honestly I was so geed up from that I thought right these guys were on it... I am on it. The strategy was great, but anyway we just keep looking forwards and hope for a better race."
"You get emotional," said Toto Wolff. "I do too in the race, and when you are the driver in the car, it just comes out of you and you can't even stop it.
"We are the trash bin, the sick bag in the airplane," he continued, "and we are taking all of that because we need to. That is how it has always been in a relationship between frustrated driver and the pit wall.
"We have sat together, we discussed the race strategy," he added. "This morning we decided to take a risk, it really backfired for him but I think overall, the circumstances, having Max behind him, that was totally unpleasant but there are more positives to take and this is what we have also chatted about; the car is fast here."
"At the beginning of the day, we talked about taking a risk of going on to a one-stop," explained Hamilton, in reference to what caused his frustration. "There was no discussion of like if we pit 20 laps from the end if there was a safety car.
"Honestly when that came out, I just followed the direction I didn't think anyone was going to stop. When I went past my pit box I saw the soft tyres were out and I saw what was happening to George and I was like, 'Hang on a second', and my hopes faded a bit."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Zandvoort here.