Lewis Hamilton Once Offended 1.3 Billion People With Upsetting ‘Poor Place’ Remarks

Lewis Hamilton is one of the very few drivers to openly express his emotions to the public. While sometimes he’s widely praised, many times the Mercedes driver has managed to get himself into trouble too. On one occasion, the seven-time F1 world champion made remarks about the Asian country India and faced backlash.

Hamilton has never backed down from pointing out issues at whatever place F1 visits. The driver, alongside Sebastian Vettel, openly criticizes the issues in that country. In a similar case, he raised Human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, while the country organized the second Grand Prix of the 2022 F1 season.

A long while ago for India as well, Hamilton made remarks that did not go down well with its natives. The country was not conducting any GPs by that time, and Hamilton connected back to the years 2011-2013, “I’ve been to India before to a race which was strange because India was such a poor place yet we had this massive, beautiful grand prix track made in the middle of nowhere.”

He further added, “I felt very conflicted when I went to that grand prix.” However, after receiving criticism and backlash from the countrymen, the driver felt the need to clarify his remarks.

“Hey everyone. I noticed some people are upset with my comment on India. First off, India is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The culture there is incredible…”

After claiming that the contradictory nature of the place is what bothered him more, many fans seemingly agreed with him too. Moreover, the Mercedes driver was also full of praise in other ways for the Southeast Asian subcontinent and its fans.

What happened to the Indian Grand Prix praised by Lewis Hamilton himself?

During the years, 2011-13, F1 was not necessarily the biggest sport in India. Though there was a pickup in popularity when the European sport visited the Buddh International Circuit, it wasn’t enough to keep it for many years.

The circuit itself received high praise, being hailed as a very fast track and consisting of challenging corners. Moreover, several drivers received it well, with Hamilton even likening it to Spa.

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However, a tax dispute with the government canceled its contract in 2014. So, what do you think? Can this circuit ever make a comeback? Can it become one of the top circuits to have existed in F1?

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