"That's exactly what I said": When Lewis Hamilton backed Sebastian Vettel's "it's bullshit" verdict to radical F1 'reverse grid' proposal

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton previously claimed that he was in agreement with former four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel's "its bullshit" comment regarding a rumored radical F1 proposal. The two ex-rivals battled against each other for over 15 years which comprised of fighting for pole positions, race wins, and championships.

Despite several heated moments on track, the two world champions had multiple things in common such as their beliefs outside the track and speaking out against political and social prejudices. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the duo became closer due to their friendly dynamic off the track and often supported each other on F1-related issues.

During the post-qualifying press conference at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was asked if he supported the idea of reverse grids in F1, to which the then-Mercedes driver said:

"I don’t really know what to say to it. People that propose that don't really know what they’re talking about."

Sebastian Vettel, who was racing for Ferrari, was unable to hear Hamilton's answer and asked:

"What did you say?"

Although the Brit did not reply, the German gave his answer:

"I think it’s complete bullshit, to be honest."

Lewis Hamilton was left in splits and acknowledged:

"That's exactly what I said."

The Ferrari driver continued with his response to the question and added:

"I think we know… if you want to improve things I think it’s very clear we need to string the field more together, we need to have better racing. So, it’s just a plaster. I don’t know which genius came up with this but it’s not the solution. It’s completely the wrong approach."

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton continued their friendly dynamic even after the former retired from the sport at the end of the 2022 season and continue to cheer each other on.

---

Sebastian Vettel makes a startling Lewis Hamilton admission

Former four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel stated that he had his "fingers crossed" regarding Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning an elusive eighth world championship during his tenure with Ferrari.

Speaking with BBC Sportsworld, the German driver reflected on the 40-year-old's chances and said:

“My fingers are crossed. Obviously, I’ve raced him a long time. We get along really well and he’s by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute. His on-track skills don’t need to be repeated."

“I think the numbers and statistics speak for themselves. But it’s great to see that he’s still on the grid and he still has that influence and uses it in a positive manner. So naturally, my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton had earlier revealed that he had spoken with Sebastian Vettel prior to starting his journey with the Italian team to get some information about his race engineer Ricardo Adami, who was also Vettel's race engineer in his Ferrari years.