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MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JUNE 08: Pole position qualifier Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and second place qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP talk in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JUNE 08: Pole position qualifier Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and second place qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP talk in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
While both are fierce competitors on the track, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel share a healthy relationship outside of their F1 cars.
Over the years, both former World Champions have developed an amicable relationship. And it was on full display at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2015.
Both of them sat down for a joint interview with BBC’s Lee McKenzie before the main event. During this chit chat, McKenzie asked Seb if he knew the name of Hamilton’s dog.
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Formula One F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the race alongside third placed Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel Pool via REUTERS/Kenan Asyali
Vettel replied in the affirmative and said it was Roscoe. To this Lewis said that he even gave him a ‘squeaky’ present. But the thoughtful gift disturbed him all night.
“He gave Roscoe this damn ball that squeaked so much and he wouldn’t leave it alone all night. So, he’s in the motor home next door and this thing is going on the whole night!” said Hamilton.
“I won the next day,” quipped the Rhinelander. Hamilton subsequently called Vettel out for employing tactics to win, in jest of course.
Lewis Hamilton also sympathized with Sebastian Vettel after news of his Ferrari exit went public
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Vettel had arguably the darkest period of his F1 career in 2020. While this season was tough because of the SF20, it was exacerbated by Ferrari’s decision to let him go at the end of the season.
It was heartbreaking for the German as he always dreamed of winning an F1 World Championship with the Prancing Stallion. But Lewis was on hand to lift his spirits.
“Lewis called me just after the bad news in the spring. We then had a few more conversations or wrote to each other. He always cheered me up and motivated me to keep going… Lewis would often have had a reason to feel sorry for me (laughs).”
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Formula One F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is congratulated by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel after winning the race and the world championship REUTERS/Clive Mason
It is heartwarming to see that two drivers who can battle so hard on the track can have this sort of friendship in F1, even though in recent times, those battles have been far and few. But hopefully, we can see them going wheel-to-wheel in 2021 while continuing to have this level of respect.
