"All the opposite to everything they said": When Lewis Hamilton took a stand about the safety considerations in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton previously claimed that he was not in agreement with his fellow drivers' comments about the safety aspect during the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 world champion had always taken a stand on issues such as racism and equality and never shied away from giving unfiltered opinions on any political and human rights problems of any country that the sport races in.

Since its introduction on the grid in 2021, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been riddled with controversies, causing unease amongst fans and drivers alike. A drone attack near the track in 2022 during the race weekend brought the safety standards into question.

During the pre-race press conference in 2023, every driver was asked about the safety standards for the weekend, with almost everyone giving a positive response and mentioning that they were happy to race in the Middle Eastern nation.

However, Lewis Hamilton, who was then racing for Mercedes, gave his take on the subject and said:

"Not much really to add. All the opposite to everything they said."

When Hamilton was pushed to elaborate on his short statement and was asked if he was concerned about the political side, the Brit replied:

"Well, I didn't elaborate on it. So it's open to interpretation. That’s something I don’t want to get into either. So hopefully everyone has a safe weekend and hopefully, everyone gets home safe afterwards. That's as much as we can do, right?"

Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural edition of the race in Jeddah but could only muster a P5 finish in the 2023 edition behind his ex-teammate George Russell.

Charles Leclerc comments on his new teammate Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc stated that he believed Lewis Hamilton's circumstances of joining the Italian team were "different" from his.

As per F1.com, the Monegasque reflected on the acclimatization period of his new teammate and said:

“It’s really nice to see. Obviously it’s very different, the situation that Lewis finds himself in joining the team. When I joined, I only had done one year in Formula 1 [with Sauber], so everything was still new to me and I had to learn how a team like Ferrari would work in Formula 1.

“For Lewis, an Italian team is pretty new to him, but he has achieved so much and he arrives here as a legend of the sport. It’s really cool to see what it was like for him to have so much success in other teams and the way they used to work, so on that, we’ve learned a lot, and it was really exciting to see how happy and excited he was about the whole thing."

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be teammates for at least the next two years at Ferrari, with an option for a further year if the Brit decides to extend his stay at Maranello.