Lewis Hamilton Lived Up to His Word to Sebastian Vettel Years After Season of Heated F1 Rivalry

F1 may not have seen the best of the rivalry between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Barring a few incidents, the duo fought with each other on the track, but mostly with respect. The spice of F1 driver clashing was missing in this duo’s rivalry. Nonetheless, they had their heated moments, and one of those was during the Azerbaijan GP in 2017.

Going back to their clash in Baku, Sebastian Vettel expressed his point of view a few weeks after the 2017 Azerbaijan GP. It was the Austrian GP press conference, where the media bombarded questions over the duo’s safety car incident in Baku.

The media first asked Vettel about the incident, and why he made the statement that he overreached in the head of the moment. The German replied, “I don’t think that’s necessary. I think we have seen it many times, I have looked at it. Obviously, I had a very different view inside the car than I had with a little bit of a gap and outside the car.”

“Hence, I made the statement [that I was wrong].”

Vettel stated that he talked with Lewis Hamilton after the race and they have sorted their issues out. He further said that he doesn’t want to blow this matter out of proportion.

On this Hamilton was asked whether the incident changes the dynamic between him and Vettel. To this, Lewis replied, “I don’t think it does. I think Sebastian and I, we spoke after the race on Monday, and shortly after that, he admitted [his mistake] to me. I just said that I have the utmost respect for him as a driver and will continue to race him hard through the rest of the [2017] season.”

Hamilton kept his promise of racing Vettel hard throughout 2017 and he has the utmost respect for him to this very day.

Read More: Rivalry Boiling Point Takes Wholesome Turn as Lewis Hamilton Recalls Infamous F1 Spat With Sebastian Vettel

It’s been 5 years since that incident, and Vettel has retired from F1 in 2022. Yet, the camaraderie seen between the two rivals is amazing. Perhaps it was Baku that was the turning point of their friendship.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel – A long way from Baku

The heated moments between F1 drivers always leave a sour taste, if dragged for longer than required. Rivalries can turn quite fierce if drivers don’t resolve issues with each other. Vettel and Hamilton knew that back in 2017 after their safety car tussle in Azerbaijan.

It was an eventful race in Baku when the title rivals Vettel and Hamilton were running in the top two. During a safety car period, Hamilton may have slowed down, and Vettel got minor damage to the front of his car. They were at reduced speeds, yet it caused Vettel to get angry at Hamilton.

The German then brought his Ferrari alongside the Mercedes to hit him on the side and show his displeasure. The stewards handed Sebastian a 10-second stop-go penalty for dangerous driving.

The duo talked and sorted their issues to close the matter back then. Nonetheless, when this matter was brought up during Vettel’s final race press conference in 2022, their responses were really pure.

Both Seb and Lewis mentioned how the whole incident changed their relationship. They stated that their friendship got better since then. It was wholesome to witness the change in the duo’s dynamic and the differences in their statements about what happened.

Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton and Co. gather for Sebastian Vettel’s Last Supper

Now that Vettel has retired, Hamilton has mentioned he will miss his rival on the grid. Yet, he hopes that Seb will come back to F1 at some point in the future. What is your favorite moment of Lewis and Seb’s rivalry?