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Lewis Hamilton received a trophy at the 2023 FIA prize-giving ceremony for finishing third in the recently concluded season. However, one of the attendees of the prize-giving ceremony, Nihad Nesirli, posted several pictures on X of Hamilton's FIA trophy and claimed that the seven-time world champion gave away the silverware at the gala. That led to both the FIA and Mercedes stepping in to issue a clarification.
According to PlanetF1 journalist Thomas Maher, one of the sources from the gala claimed that the trophy was handed over to an FIA official for safekeeping. Mercedes has also come out and stated that Hamilton has not given the prize away to a fan.
As of now, the whereabouts of the trophy are unknown, and an investigation has reportedly been initiated for it.
Trending
As soon as the news surfaced on social media platforms, it instantly went viral, with several fans reacting to the posts about Hamilton's trophy being missing. While some were surprised to see how many issues FIA is facing at the moment, especially with Mercedes, others joked that the off-season is more interesting than the entire 2023 F1 season.
Here are some of the reactions from F1 fans:
"All those things are so weird, all the time scandal after scandal," one fan commented.
Lewis Hamilton positive about Mercedes' performance in the 2024 F1 season
Mercedes secured second place in the 2023 F1 constructors' championship, while Lewis Hamilton ended up in third place in the drivers' championship. The seven-time world champion, however, is positive for what's to come for the Silver Arrows in 2024.
In a recent press conference, he praised his team for all the hard work in 2023 and claimed that the future is bright for Mercedes.
"I think it's really important also to just take a moment this year, just to acknowledge the hard work, and just how great you are and what we've overcome, and know that the future is bright," Hamilton said.
"We want it, we're willing, we can do it. So, yeah, have an amazing time. Thank you so much," he added.
