McLaren drivers confirm truce
McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso say they have cleared the air following the breakdown in their relations over the Hungarian Grand Prix ‘Pitlanegate’ incident and have agreed to move on with no hard feelings on either side.
The team-mates fell out publicly in Budapest three weeks ago after Hamilton disregarded McLaren’s instructions in qualifying and Alonso then impeded him in the pit lane, denying him the chance of vying for pole position.
But the summer break has allowed tempers to cool and after separate discussions with team management in their hotel on Thursday the pair met privately to settle their differences.
McLaren issued a statement on Friday morning saying its drivers had “found a constructive way forward”, a sentiment echoed by Hamilton and Alonso.
“Fernando and I met up yesterday and had a really constructive meeting,” Hamilton told reporters.
“He said he had no problems with me, and I said the same.
“We just agreed to look forward.
“We settled our differences, and obviously we analysed what went on [in Hungary], and just said this is the past, we have to figure out how we can move forward as a team to take on the championship.
“I apologised for everything that went on last week or the weekend before, and he said, ‘Yes, the same for me, let’s just start with a clean slate and move along.’”
Hamilton claimed the media had blown the incident out of proportion and exacerbated the tensions between him and Alonso.
“Things are looking better, a lot better than you would imagine after the last race,” he said.
“Everything looked as bad as it could ever be.
“A lot of that I think is from the press – they are always writing stories about me and Fernando at war.
“It obviously sells a lot more papers, but we’re not at war.
“We’re both extremely competitive drivers, wanting to win the world championship, but that doesn’t deter us from the fact that we respect each other, and we get on.”
He added that the team had reassured him and Alonso that it treats them equally and will continue to do so.
“Obviously, we addressed our issues that we have with the team,” he said.
“We’ve been assured that it is equal, we have equal equipment and equal opportunities.
“For me and Fernando, we’re going to have to keep on pushing, but the war is not between me and him.
“We have to work together as a team to get the constructors’ championship and the drivers’ championship.
“If I win it’s great for the team, if he wins it’s great for the team. But we need to do it for the team and for us as well.”
Alonso likewise said Thursday’s meetings had been productive in drawing a line under what happened in Hungary.
“Everything is okay,” said the Spaniard.
“The past is the past and what happened in Hungary, it’s not the right time to think about it now.
“With six races to go we need to try and win the championship and we need to think about Turkey now.”
The Spaniard claimed the atmosphere in the team was now a “normal” one of healthy competition and there was no residual bitterness between him and Hamilton.
“I have no problems with him at all and he has no problems with me at all,” he said.
“We talked about Hungary and we all agreed that what happened in Hungary should not be repeated any more and that we should concentrate to try to beat the Ferraris.”
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