Formula 1 legend Damon Hill has hit back at claims Lewis Hamilton is ‘not patriotic’ following his record British Grand Prix win at Silverstone.
The Brit overtook Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to storm to his sixth victory at his home race – taking him over closer to a sixth world championship title.
But, while the 141,000-strong crowd at Silverstone were delighted by his win, Hamilton faced criticism in some quarters following his landmark triumph.
His incredible achievements in the sport have not stopped the online haters, with the Stevenage-born ace often criticised for taking up residence in tax-haven Monaco and accused by some fans of ‘not being British’
But Hill insists Hamilton has flown the flag for Great Britain with pride and has ‘delivered everything he could possibly do’ for his country.
LATEST SPORT NEWS
Speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White, the 1996 F1 world champion said: “It’s difficult to come up with more superlatives; the guy is dominant in his era and he’s had everything thrown at him and he’s delivered on every level.
“It’s very difficult to think what else he can do, apart from of course beat Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles.
“He has become a world recognised sports star and that of course means he’s more international, but he’s an English lad… he’s from Stevenage and he grew up in this country!
“He does try to convince us he is very patriotic and I think sometimes the more he does that the less we are inclined to buy that sort of ‘selling tactic’.
F1 driver standings
After 10 races, Hamilton is way out in front in the championship standings. But who comes behind Hamilton in the top 10?
- Lewis Hamilton – 223 points
- Valtteri Bottas – 184 points
- Max Verstappen – 136 points
- Sebastien Vettel – 123 points
- Charles Leclerc – 120 points
- Pierre Gasly – 55 points
- Carlos Sainz – 38 points
- Kimi Raikkonen – 25 points
- Lando Norris – 22 points
- Daniel Ricciardo – 22 points
“But he doesn’t have to worry about it.
“He’s delivered everything he could possibly do for this country – he is the highest-winning British driver and second highest in the history of Formula One.
Asked how he would have fared against Hamilton had they raced in the same era, Hill added: “It would have been very difficult to beat him!
“To beat him, what I found from racing against people like Michael Schumacher is that I could do it, but I couldn’t do it all the time, and Lewis can do it all the time.
“He might have the occasional blip, but it doesn’t happen very often.”
Listen back to talkSPORT’s interview with Damon Hill IN FULL above!
Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport