“I Had Heard the Rumors…”: Lindsey Vonn Heroically Jumped to Controversial Friend Lewis Hamilton’s Rescue Amid Scathing Backlash in 2016

The last race of the 2016 F1 season at Abu Dhabi is arguably a GP Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t want to remember. The Briton not only lost the F1 title to his arch-rival Nico Rosberg, but he also received heavy backlash for his misconduct on track. As Hamilton defied Mercedes‘ orders during the Yas Marina Circuit, many believed his choice was much of an arrogant one. However, his long-time friend and ally Lindsey Vonn didn’t feel her F1 driver friend is “arrogant.”

Vonn, who’s a renowned skier, had once opened up to support her friend Hamilton. As per a feature from the Time, Vonn shared, “There are so many ­haters, it’s kind of crazy.” The Olympic skier further said, “When I first met him, I had heard the rumors that he was really arrogant. He’s not even remotely arrogant.”

The current 38-year-old driver received huge backlash after his controversial conduct at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP. During the race, Mercedes ordered Hamilton to pick up his pace with a few laps remaining and Rosberg behind him. However, the then three-time world champion Hamilton refused to abide by the team’s orders. He said on the radio, “Right now I’m losing the world championship. So, I’m not really bothered if I’ll lose this race.”

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This not only angered some fans but also made team principal Toto Wolff absolutely furious.

Lindsey Vonn once revealed why she admires Lewis Hamilton

Apart from jumping to his defense in 2016, the celebrity skier Lindsey Vonn once also chose to reveal why considers F1’s Billion Dollar Man as her style icon.

In an interview with elle.com, Vonn shared, “Lewis Hamilton is really forward-thinking in everything he does.” The Olympic skier, who once declined a huge F1 deal to join Hamilton, also emphasized on how the Mercedes driver loves to break barriers one after the other. She added, “I like how he pushes the envelope.”

However, in contrast to Lewis, Vonn accepted that she was kind of the opposite of her friend. She shared, “I’m a little more conservative, but I like trying new things and seeing what’s possible.”

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Lewis Hamilton and Lindsey Vonn have been long-time friends, with Vonn being spotted with the Silver Arrows ace a few times. Calling them good friends must make sense, because that’s what friends do. They stand up for each other, especially in troubled times.