Lewis Hamilton has claimed he took inspiration from the pockets of supporters he had within a Hockenheim crowd that largely booed him prior to the German Grand Prix.
The Briton admitted it was a rollercoaster weekend in terms of emotions from the low of qualifying to the high of taking victory and even in between as the large race-day crowd, mostly made up of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel fans made their feelings known.
Commenting on the reaction he received, Hamilton compared it to that all the drivers had gotten at Silverstone two weeks prior.
“When you come to England, going around I don’t remember any of the fans booing. We’ve got quite a good group of fans in England,” he told Autosport. “When I came here, there was a lot of booing.
“The weird thing is that I was really happy about it. It was unusual. It’s weird that I’m still happy.
“It was because I kept seeing individually, a couple of different British flags in amongst a hundred or a thousand [others]. It was a sea of red and then you’ve got a British flag in there.
“It was just so positive for me. That’s why I said at the end, that love conquers all.”
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Before the weekend, some wondered if Hamilton would look for a little payback on Vettel for his radio jibe after winning the British Grand Prix, hailing victory at Lewis’ home race and just down the road from Mercedes’ Brackley base.
“Honestly, I don’t need to search for a boost or energy from other people’s business. I just focus on mine,” he said.
“I’m just focused on trying to be the best I can be in myself because the best me – if I’m my best and my higher self – I feel like I’m able to drive like I was able to today, regardless of all the people and who else is around doing whatever they are doing.
“I did say when I came here that you can see things and they can often be maybe a sign of weakness.
“As I said, if we just kept our heads down, we knew this weekend Ferrari were going to be quick. I’m just really proud of my guys as well, not getting phased by this fight that we’re having.”
