F1 News: Mercedes Jumps To Lewis Hamilton's Defence Over FIA Gala Controversy

Mercedes has refuted claims that Lewis Hamilton purposefully left his trophy at the FIA ceremony as a form of protest.

Mercedes has recently addressed rumours surrounding Lewis Hamilton's actions at the FIA awards ceremony, where he reportedly left behind his third-place trophy. This response follows recent tensions between Mercedes and the FIA, including an investigation into Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff, which was later dropped.

Key Takeaways

• Mercedes Clarification: Mercedes has clarified that Lewis Hamilton did not give away his trophy as speculated. Instead, he left it with officials to be sent to the team, a practice common at previous prizegivings.
• Hamilton's Criticism of FIA: Hamilton was openly critical of the FIA's handling of the investigation into Toto and Susie Wolff and questioned the governing body's commitment to sustainability by choosing Baku over Paris for the awards ceremony.
• 2023 Season Overview for Hamilton: Despite a challenging season where Hamilton didn’t win a single Grand Prix, he remains optimistic about Mercedes' prospects in the upcoming season, expressing "full faith" in the team's ability to bounce back with a new car concept.

In a statement, the Brackley-based team addressed the speculation head-on: 

“Immediately after leaving the stage, and as has been done at previous prizegivings, Lewis accepted the offer from officials for the trophy to be sent on to the team and therefore left it in their care.

"We can confirm he did not give the trophy to anyone ‘as a gift’ as has been speculated.”

It became a huge talking point on social media after X user, @nihadcelona, posted to say he had been gifted the trophy by the seven-time F1 champion. They wrote:

"Hello. I was at the Gala yesterday. Lewis Hamilton gave me the award and left. I have the prize at home now."

However, Nesirli later posted to clarify the situation claiming there had been a misunderstanding. 

"Hello, good evening. I am very disappointed to see messages written to me like thief or something. First of all I want to say I didn't steal anything from anywhere. This is just a misunderstanding. Lewis Hamilton put the award on the table. I asked him if I could take the prize.

"He said to me, yes, you can take the prize. And I thought he gifted me the award. But now, after seeing the statement from Mercedes, I understand that Lewis did not gift me the award. He mistakenly thought I was the Fia official in charge of the award."