Lewis Hamilton told he ‘showed greatness’ with apology to Mercedes garage

Lewis Hamilton endured a disastrous start to last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix after securing his first pole position since 2021. However, he has been hailed for “showing greatness” with his response after instantly surrendering his lead in Budapest to race winner Max Verstappen.

Hamilton and Mercedes will have been hopeful of at least another podium finish after a sensational qualifying display placed him at the front of the grid on Sunday.

However, a dismal start after lights out helped Verstappen soar up the inside and past Hamilton at turn one.

Oscar Piastri then overtook the seven-time world champion on the exit of turn one before McLaren team-mate Lando Norris demoted him to P4 at turn three.

After his early nightmare, Hamilton apologised to the Mercedes garage through the team radio, saying: “Sorry about that guys.”

Race engineer Peter Bonnington offered support, responding: “Don’t sweat it, Lewis. It’s going to be a long, hot race.”

But Hamilton couldn’t recover, missing out on a podium spot to Verstappen, Norris and Driver of the Day Sergio Perez.

Mercedes endured a frustrating Sunday, with George Russell finishing behind Piastri in P6 as McLaren closed the gap to the former, Aston Martin and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

But Ralf Schumacher has heaped praise on Hamilton for his classy response to throwing the race lead in the opening seconds.

“In the race, however, he messed up the start and wasted his chance for a podium finish early on. Immediately after the mistake, he apologised to the team – that shows greatness,” Schumacher explained.