New Delhi: McLaren have told Lewis Hamilton to be less hard on himself after an inaugural Indian Grand Prix that again had the 2008 Formula One champion apologising profusely to team and sponsors.
The Briton collided with Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa during the race, their sixth clash on track this season, after being demoted three places on the starting grid for ignoring warning flags in practice. Race stewards ruled Massa was to blame for Sunday's collision, handing him a drive-through penalty, but Hamilton remained contrite about his own general performance over the weekend.
"I've had to apologise to the team," the 26-year-old told television reporters after the race. "I'm sorry for the team, they always do a great job every weekend, so to disappoint them like this ... Just big apologies to the team, my sponsors, after yet another disastrous race."
"It's been an eventful year. I just can't apologise enough to my team for the negativity that surrounds me nowadays," added Hamilton, who finished the race in seventh place and made a quick getaway afterwards.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh felt Hamilton should be easier on himself. "Yes I do, frankly," he told reporters. "I've told him that on several occasions. Don't apologise. You're a racing driver. If you've made a mistake accept it, learn from it, move on."
Hamilton has been repeatedly punished by the stewards this season for aggressive driving, while he and Massa have developed a magnetic attraction on the track that has developed into something of a feud and caused concern at both teams.
Whitmarsh said he had spoken about it to Ferrari counterpart Stefano Domenicali, but added that there would be no contrived peace gesture for the cameras.
"A staged handshake, a conciliatory gesture outside the garage at the next Grand Prix ... you don't want that, unless it's to take the mickey out of it. They've got to sort themselves out," he said firmly.
Hamilton has made errors of judgement while teammate Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, has gone from strength to strength in the closing races of a championship already won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
Second-placed Button is now 38 points ahead of Hamilton, who has never before finished a championship behind a teammate, with only two races remaining.
"He's very analytical," Whitmarsh said of Hamilton. "He's very serious about trying to do the best job he can. He's much too hard on himself."
"I've known Lewis for a long, long time and he's been like it since he was a kartist and he would beat up on himself. That's his way. That's his psychology. That's how he motivates himself," he added.
Whitmarsh would not comment on whether the Briton's personal life had been part of the problem, with Hamilton recently splitting up with American singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.
"His body language this weekend has been much stronger than it has been in the last races," he said.
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