Lewis Hamilton clarifies on his comment about F1 in a 'poor place' like India

Modified Nov 15, 2018 13:21 GMT

Lewis Hamilton has clarified on the comments he made about Formula One's decision to race in countries like India with limited wealth and racing heritage.

Last week, the five-time Formula One Drivers' Champion took home yet another victory at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix with a fine performance, which ensured that the Mercedes team secured the constructors' championship. This week, Lewis Hamilton was in the news for something other than his skills behind the racing wheel.

Lewis Hamilton in an interview to the BBC, said, "I've been to Vietnam before, and it is beautiful. 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. I felt very conflicted when I went to that Grand Prix."

Many India fans expressed their concern on various social media platforms including Twitter on Hamilton's statement on the country and his lack of knowledge on the country's progress and development. In fact, many fans sporting fans were quite upset on the Briton's statement.

Hamilton clarified on his comments via Twitter, the Brit said "Hi 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. I have visited and always had an amazing time however whilst it's the fasted [sic] growing economy it also has a lot of poverty. My reference was that a Grand Prix there felt strange to drive past homeless people and then arrive in an huge area where money was not an issue.

"They spent hundreds of millions on that track now that is never used. That money could have been spent on schools or homes for those in need. When we did have the race, nobody came because it was too expensive most likely or no interest. However, I have met some amazing Indian fans."

The Indian Grand Prix was successfully held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) from 2011 to 2013. BIC had originally signed a 5-year contract with F1 but the 2014 edition was called off due to a tax dispute between the circuit and the FIA, with the Indian government authorities classing F1 as entertainment and not a sport. It seems highly unlikely that Formula One will return to the Indian calendar in the near future.