
Like many children, he was crazy about toy cars:
"I liked models, real cars, motorbikes and anything with an engine inside and under the wheels".
Look, Lewis Hamilton, a 32-year-old man with three world titles and now thinks about what he was and what he will be:
"I could also leave F1 at the end of this year. Would anything change about my legacy?"
The landscape changes from Baku, glittering hotels and ruins, the old and the new around the eighth Grand Prix of the year. The champion who was a boy now looks at the horizon. In Canada he recovered points from his challenger and is now 12 points behind Vettel's Ferrari. He talks about this too and says how funny it is
"This year we are having real competition with five drivers within a few tenths. It's easier to compete against another team, otherwise you get into a vortex of tension".
Like in the battle in Mercedes with Rosberg last year, which ended with a defeat for Lewis and Nico's retirement immediately afterwards. An interrupted story, even between them. Twilight words and images to say it, a showdown after a childhood partly kidnapped by his passion and the dream of one day becoming like Muhammad Ali, the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and obviously Ayrton Senna.
"There was no black man like me on TV in F1".
His internal engine turned on when he was five years old in the summer on a bumper car with his dad, now this mumbling inside:
"My destiny is in my hands: I could decide to quit at the end of the year. Would that mean my inheritance would be less than I could leave in five years? I would like to be remembered similarly to Senna, a tough but fair driver. But I don't think about it now because I don't know what's around the next bend".
There is his road.
"I think life is a journey, if it was always easy and peaceful it would be boring. The stormy sea is more exciting. My life is like the ocean, you wake up in the morning and the water is calm but if the wind rises the waves also rise. It's all about finding balance and not taking things too seriously. It's amazing how powerful the human mind is: you can solve anything with it".
The child who played with the toy car dreaming, Hamilton, and then puts everything on hold.
"I may decide to stop at the end of this year".
Lewis Hamilton surprises everyone and opens up a possible farewell to Formula 1.

"My destiny is in my own hands. Will my legacy be less than it could be if I quit in five years? And who says that? I don't like to make plans because I don't know what's around the corner. I don't know what I will do but whatever awaits me, if I work hard as I always have in races, I feel I can achieve great things".
But one thing is certain:
"I will never stop pushing the limits, no matter what I do, and I will strive for greatness in whatever world I find myself in. I think that mentality is my legacy".
Hamilton confesses:
"I would like to be remembered as a tough but fair driver, on and off the tracks. I would like to be remembered in a similar light to that in which Senna is remembered. Ever since I started, my goal has always been to emulate Ayrton. And I hope that when I stop, people will respect my commitment, my qualities and my driving style as they respected Senna's".
Yet it's been years since Hamilton had as much fun as he did this season, characterized by the duel with Vettel's Ferrari.
"The car is similar to last year's but now there is real competition. Now the top ten in qualifying are within half a second and the top five within a few tenths, these are races, where every millimeter, every meter braking counts".
But the following day, Thursday 22 June 2017, Lewis Hamilton backtracks. Previously, the Mercedes driver said he was open to the possibility of quitting Formula 1 at the end of the season. But, to hear him speak in front of the media on the day before the start of free practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Anglo-Caribbean driver would seem to have never considered the possibility of hanging up his helmet.
"I don't remember talking about this but it's not something I'm thinking about right now".
The three-time World Champion states that, after having joined his idol Ayrton Senna in second place for the number of pole positions (65) three from Michael Schumacher's absolute record, he seems intent on enjoying the battle with Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari for the fourth world title. The Briton also denies his possible arrival at Maranello.
"Even in this case, I repeat, it's not something I'm thinking about. At the moment I'm thinking about beating Ferrari. I've said it several times, I'm a big fan of the Ferrari team, of all the results they've achieved in motorsport but also in the road cars they create. But now I'm enjoying the fight we have".
Says Hamilton, who concludes on Sunday's race on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital:
"Looking at what I went through last year I know where the problems and risks are and I hope not to have these problems this weekend. We will have other scenarios compared to twelve months ago but we are better prepared".

No, he doesn't leave, but how many things he has lost. And what a yearning to take it all back. Lewis, or of melancholy. The former Formula 1 bad boy, all necklaces, tattoos and parties, suddenly seems like a man who talks to ghosts inside. Beautiful, well-groomed, calm hands. Never like now and here, between the Middle Ages of the Azerbaijani depths and the future of the skyscrapers of the starchitects, has Hamilton found himself touching his own future so closely. At 32 years old, after having remained firmly in the saddle of his passion for twenty, the knight seems a little unsaddled by invisible thoughts.
"What will I do one day? Everything I couldn't. I've lost so many things: maybe I'll climb Everest because I've never done it. I saw a film, one of Denzel's films where the challenge was to read a hundred books, maybe I will, maybe I will have to read until the end of my life. And then learn other languages, I'd like to, I grew up in England where schools aren't the best for learning another language, I've always wanted to do it but it takes consistency in taking lessons, maybe I'll try French. Maybe play the piano. Or cooking even if I don't like cooking. Things change. Yes, I would like to do a lot of different things".
In Baku Lewis finds the theater city to represent himself. At 28 meters below sea level, the submerged Hamilton presses to the surface. It is the only Grand Prix that the three-time World Champion has never won. It is only the second edition on the other hand, the first that proudly boasts the Azerbaijan Gran Prix, removing last year's debut European from the title when his teammate and rival in Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, won. The other ghost, the internal adversary who has disappeared from any opportunity for revenge. Life beyond the Circus took him away. A real and strange wind is blowing on Baku, a city circuit, the third this year after Monte Carlo and Montreal, 6003 meters between the so-called seafront and the narrow walls of the old city. The longest after Spa in Belgium, they say it is a mix between Monza and Monte-Carlo because it is very fast and yet tortuous at times. A brain teaser. A mixture and a contrast, the same as this land of fire that tends towards Europe and remains linked to its Caucasian navel. Land of Fire, skyline of three 190 meter high skyscrapers in the shape of flames, steel burns colorfully by day and night on the horizon over the Caspian Sea, a dense and dark lake surrounded by three million inhabitants with oil and gas under their feet, the hill which hangs over the gulf and is therefore twinned with Naples as well as for the traffic and the horns. A crossroads of ancient and urban utopia, the curved lines of the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid among the solemn rigid Soviet architecture that immerse the view in a monotonous ocher grey. Crossroads for Hamilton, in the World Championship and who knows if also in perspective. The Briton is chasing Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, ahead by 12 points.
"I've never hidden the fact that I'm a big Ferrari fan, but today I'm thinking about how to beat them. I have great respect for the Rossa for what they have achieved in the history of motorsport and for the cars they produce. Will I drive it one day? I don't know what the future holds. For now I'm enjoying the battle we have, it hasn't happened in years and it's a good thing that two teams clash with each other like this, the energies are channeled differently. I admire Maranello and I think they are still the favorites: compared to us, they have shown more consistency".
And what does this idea of giving up consist of?
"I don't know, I don't remember when I discussed it. However I'm not thinking about it, I don't think I'm in a position where I have to step aside to make room for a young person. I believe that the dream of many athletes is to exit the scene when they are at the top, but sometimes we have seen athletes who stopped before that. I haven't decided that I want to retire before my time".
As for the counterpart, the Monaco double seems like a very distant memory at Ferrari, after the unfortunate Canadian Grand Prix. In Azerbaijan the Maranello team wants to redeem themselves, in particular Kimi Räikkönen who finished in seventh place in Montreal.

"Our car has proven to be competitive everywhere and so let's see how we can perform this weekend. For our part, we will do everything to be at the front".
Kimi Räikkönen is also ready to play as a team with Sebastian Vettel who must defend the momentary leadership of the World Championship, but only when he is mathematically out of contention for the title.
"I think the rules within the team are very clear. We are allowed to race, but then we have to do what the team asks of us. Maurizio (Arrivabene, ed.) told us that nothing has changed. Then things can vary, when I no longer have the mathematical possibility of fighting for the world championship, I will help my partner: it's a simple decision. But for our team it is important to make sure that we are both at the front like Ferrari. Then if Seb can win and I can't, I will do my best everything to help him, but the first thing is to race for Ferrari and do the best for the team".
The Finn doesn't bat an eye on the almost double gap that divides Vettel from Kimi in the standings:
"When you have a not so positive start and then you have done some good races while your teammate has been strong everywhere and gets on the podium everywhere, obviously the margin widens, but these are races. We haven't had good luck several times, but unfortunate episodes can happen and it doesn't depend on our will. Luckily in the last race we managed to finish it and get to the points. It's not the ideal solution, but that's how it went".
Räikkönen took pole position in Monte-Carlo, but he does not believe that this gives the certainty of repeating the same result in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"There are no guarantees compared to the past, also because it is a different circuit. Citizen yes, but it is absolutely not similar to Monaco".
The Finn states that, on the slightly different set of tires brought by Pirelli for this race with the Mediums instead of the more performing Ultrasofts and on who between Ferrari and Mercedes will be able to benefit from it, he replies:
"We have been very close in every race this year and, as mentioned, the circuits are very different, I don't think there will be any big surprises even if the tires will be a little different. I'm not very interested in guessing what can happen. I think we will be very close. It would be a surprise if one of the two top teams is further ahead than the other".
Sebastian Vettel is pumped. The German Ferrari driver is at the top of the standings with 12 points of advantage after the fourth place achieved in Canada after a great comeback race.
"I think we did well in the race. We started badly then the damage to the front wing, the pit stop to replace the damaged nose. But then we recovered well and so I think we have already reacted to what happened. Now we have to see what happens this weekend, on a different track, a particular track where last year we finished second in the race, after starting badly on Friday and recovering on Saturday".
Then to the usual question about contract renewal he states:

"I don't know if there is a deadline, but normally a contract runs from January 1st to December 31st: it is the normal length of a contract, but it is not an answer I can give you at the moment. We are very busy with many races in a short period of time. In the summer there will be more time".
On Friday 23 June 2017 the two Red Bull Racings dominate the first free practice session; Max Verstappen precedes his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, by 0.470 seconds. Sebastian Vettel is third, 0.557 seconds behind. The German driver works during the first free practice session using Soft tyres, and not Supersoft, as the two drivers of the Anglo-Austrian team do. The track is poorly rubberized, and many drivers are responsible for driving errors. Sergio Pérez is fourth, ahead of the two Mercedes drivers. The Mexican was responsible for an accident, without physical consequences. The race direction, in order to clear the track of debris, interrupts the session with the display of red flags. For the German cars, however, there is a problem with the Soft tires warming up, so much so that Hamilton and Bottas (who also touched the barriers) have to complete two warm-up laps before trying to set the time. The same problem occurs on Kimi Räikkönen's car. Max Verstappen confirms himself as the fastest, also in the second practice session. In the afternoon, Valtteri Bottas placed second, 0.100 seconds behind, ahead of the other Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo. Verstappen, in his last attempt, also hits the barriers, causing serious damage to the car. The Ferraris finished with the fourth and fifth times, demonstrating competitiveness on the long run, while Lewis Hamilton only clocked the tenth fastest time. The Mercedes show that they still have problems with tire temperatures, and Hamilton is the author of several driving errors. The session was interrupted twice: as well as for Verstappen's accident, also for one of Jolyon Palmer, who ended up against the wall in the same place as Pérez's accident. At the end of the first day of testing, the design of the chicane before the Tower was changed, making the track less sinuous. The Palmer and Pérez accidents occurred at that point. McLaren replaces other power unit components, both on Alonso's and Vandoorne's cars. The first scores a penalty of forty positions, while the Belgian will therefore be penalized with the loss of thirty positions on the starting grid. On Saturday 24 June 2017, during the third and final free practice session Valtteri Bottas sets the best time. Kimi Räikkönen sets the second best time, followed by the other Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton. Thanks also to the modification of the chicane, the Finn sets the track record.
Sebastian Vettel ended practice with the twelfth time, slowed down by a water leak in his car's engine. For this reason, Ferrari replaced the power unit before qualifying. There was also a technical problem on Max Verstappen's car, to be precise with the gearbox, which limited him during the session. A fire breaks out in Jolyon Palmer's Renault, so much so that the English driver manages to complete only a few laps. Jolyon Palmer's Renault was not repaired in time, so the British driver did not take part in the qualifying tests. Even in the first phase of these qualifications, several drivers, due to the dirt on the track, made mistakes and grazed the track walls. Also for this reason, the top of the standings changed hands several times during Q1, until Lewis Hamilton sets the best time, as well as the only one capable of going below 1'42"0. At the end of the stage, the two McLaren drivers were eliminated, then Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean. In Q2 Lewis Hamilton once again confirms himself as the fastest, setting a time under 1'41"0. During Q2 Felipe Massa is forced to face numerous difficulties with his car. Valtteri Bottas, only at the last attempt, manages to move into second place behind his teammate. The two Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers, Nico Hülkenberg, Pascal Wehrlein and Kevin Magnussen, are eliminated. In the final phase Bottas takes the lead, while Hamilton, who made a mistake in the first attempt , is second. Vettel is only fifth due to a spin. Hamilton suffers from vibrations in his car and shortly after Ricciardo abandons qualifying due to a driving error which leads him to touch the barriers with his Red Bull. The session is interrupted, to allow the stewards to move the car without danger. Q3 is reopened with just over three and a half minutes left until the checkered flag: the drivers try for a final fast lap, but are unable to complete two launch laps, as many have done up to this point. Lewis Hamilton takes first place from Valtteri Bottas and takes pole position. In Baku, city of the winds, the Mercedes are flying. The Ferraris will start from the second row, with Kimi Räikkönen third and Sebastian Vettel fourth, after a day full of problems, with the engine replaced between the last free practices and qualifying after a hydraulic problem: the engine number one instead of number two, the same one that had saved Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari in Barcelona between free practice and qualifying and which was also used in the race.

He already has five Grands Prix behind him, approximately 3400 kilometers. A day of resurrection for Lewis Hamilton after a complicated Friday: the Englishman seems to be resurrecting under the sun. He took Q1, Q2 and took pole position at the last gasp, closing on Valtteri Bottas by 0.434 seconds as time expired. Second pole in a row for Lewis after the one in Montreal, which brings him to equal his legend Ayrton Senna, fifth start in the lead of the season and number 66 in his career, one more than his Brazilian idol. Not only that: the British driver also becomes the only one to have achieved first position on the grid in all the Grands Prix on the calendar. Fifth position on the starting grid for Max Verstappen's Red Bull ahead of the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Then the Williams of Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa, while Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull closes the top ten. But the jubilation belongs to Hamilton, for him precisely on the weekend in which the idea, then extensively detailed, of a possible retirement from F1 arose.
"It was one of the most exciting laps I've ever done. I felt a lot of pressure because on the first lap of Q3 I had made a mistake and after the interruption due to Ricciardo's accident I only had one lap to bring the tires up to temperature. I'm really happy, I had a great lap and congratulations to Valtteri too. I would like to thank my fans who came here to Baku from Iran and the English ones, thanks also to the team. Tomorrow will be tough but I'll start from the best position".
His teammate hoped so:
"Second place is good but I was aiming for pole. My lap wasn't perfect, especially because I struggled to get the tires up to temperature. For me, it's disappointing to be second but we'll see tomorrow".
However, as mentioned, it was a bad day for Sebastian Vettel:
"Obviously we're not happy, we could have done better, but third place was the best we could do today. In the end I had the pace. There are things that didn't help me but I don't like making excuses. We have a second of gap but tomorrow we have opportunities, yesterday we were fast".
On Sunday 25 June 2017, at the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton maintains first position, followed by Sebastian Vettel who takes advantage of the accident between the two Finns Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen. Following, behind the first two, Sergio Pérez, Max Verstappen, Räikkönen himself, then Felipe Massa, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll. Valtteri Bottas stops to change the nose, and returns last, lapped, due to the slow lap he had to make, with a damaged tire, to return to the pits. On lap five Ricciardo stops in the pits and puts on Soft tyres. During lap 12 the race direction sends the safety car onto the track to allow the removal of Daniil Kvyat's STR, which stops in a dangerous point due to a technical problem. In the meantime, Max Verstappen retires due to a problem with oil pressure. Valtteri Bottas takes advantage of the situation, fitting new tyres, and Daniel Ricciardo again, making a second stop. Taking advantage of the Safety Car regime, Valtteri Bottas rejoins the group. During lap 17 the race resumes, but is immediately interrupted again due to the need to clear the track of the many debris present due to the various contacts that occurred in the first laps. Meanwhile Kimi Räikkönen, driving a damaged car, is passed by Felipe Massa and Esteban Ocon. Meanwhile, under the Safety Car, Sebastian Vettel, second, collides with Lewis Hamilton, who slowed down during an acceleration stretch, and then comes alongside the Mercedes and hits him with his front right tyre. At the new restart Sergio Pérez tries to surprise Sebastian Vettel, but is passed by the German at the first corner. Sergio Pérez immediately comes into contact with the car of his teammate, Esteban Ocon. The Safety car is send back to the track again, due to new debris present along the track, while Kimi Räikkönen stops in the pits due to a puncture. The two Force India drivers are also forced to stop in the pits to repair the damage caused by their collision.

The race direction tries to give the green light again, but the drivers ask via radio for the red flag to be displayed, which interrupts the race, to definitively clean the track. This happens on lap 21. During the break, Ferrari replaces the front nose on Sebastian Vettel's car, and the cars of Sergio Pérez and Kimi Räikkönen also undergo some repairs. The race resumes, still behind the Safety car, with Lewis Hamilton in first position, followed by Sebastian Vettel, then Daniel Ricciardo who passed Lance Stroll, and Felipe Massa. The Brazilian is also passed by Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll himself, as well as Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso. Felipe Massa retires shortly afterwards due to a suspension problem. Kimi Räikkönen returns to the track in last position, while Valtteri Bottas is thirteenth. Nico Hülkenberg abandons shortly after hitting a wall and damaging a suspension; Kevin Magnussen thus climbs to fifth place, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who is sixth. Subsequently, Lewis Hamilton is slowed down due to the detachment of the head protection fixed to his car; the Briton is forced to hold it still, taking one hand off the steering wheel. During lap 32 the Briton stops in the pits to replace the equipment. Sebastian Vettel moves into first position, but is penalized with a ten-second Stop&Go penalty for the maneuver carried out on Lewis Hamilton under the Safety Car. During lap 33 Esteban Ocon passes Fernando Alonso; the Spaniard also gives up his position, after one lap, to Valtteri Bottas. After serving the punishment, Sebastian Vettel returns to the track in seventh position, ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo, who in the initial stages of the race found himself seventeenth, is now first, ahead of Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, and the Vettel-Hamilton duo. These last two authors of a quick comeback; passing Fernando Alonso on lap 36, then after three laps Kevin Magnussen, who has given way to other drivers. Esteban Ocon is passed between laps 42 and 43, while Valtteri Bottas is third. Daniel Ricciardo wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and achieves his fifth career triumph. Right on the finish line Valtteri Bottas takes second place from Lance Stroll, who wins his first podium in F1, the second youngest driver in the history of the World Championship, at 18 years, 7 months and 27 days. Stroll is also the first Canadian on the podium since Jacques Villeneuve in the 2001 German Grand Prix. Vettel finishes in fourth place, ahead of an aggressive Lewis Hamilton, who however remained fifth. A metropolitan and brutal race, as bad as only in certain capitals. Sebastian Vettel vs Lewis Hamilton. The German from Ferrari, guilty of having given a wheel hit to his rival from Mercedes to punish him for having slowed down behind the Safety car, eventually finished fourth after a ten second penalty, another 12 points in the standings and three points less on his license. Fifth position for the British driver, another two points behind Seb's Gina (he is now at 14 points) and a poison that evaporates in a very British way:
"They all saw what happened. It's not the conduct you expect from a four-time world champion. Seb disgraced himself, he wasn't a good example for the lower categories".
In the great brawl in Baku the winners lose and the crashed take the podium. Daniel Ricciardo on the Red Bull, who gave him wings from the tenth starting position and flies beyond the troubles. Valtteri Bottas who, lapped, leads Mercedes to points (250 against Ferrari's 226) with second place stolen at the finish line from the newly adult Williams billionaire, Lance Stroll, who at 18 years and 239 days becomes the second youngest rookie of F1 on the podium. The good guys, often very lucky, celebrate in the rich living room of Azerbaijan. The others end up with bruises in a gang fight. The city circuit between the Caspian Sea and the medieval walls soon becomes a suburban neighborhood: the Force Indias ram into each other, and so do the two Saubers. Muscular race, right from the start: from the second row, Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari overtakes Bottas' Mercedes on the outside, but the two touch, putting the Finn in red in the back, with the car starting to lose pieces. Vettel takes advantage of the melee and passes the bruised ones and joins Lewis Hamilton. Safety car for Kvyat who abandons the car in the middle of traffic, at the restart everyone attacks Seb who holds on in second. Shortly after another Safety car: Kimi Räikkönen continues to sow debris. He withdraws, will return with the car put back on its feet, but will have to abandon it a second time. It's only lap 19 of 51. And there, the bad thing: Lewis Hamilton slows down a bit just before the green, as the telemetry will say, Sebastian Vettel hits him behind, raises his arms, shouts, comes alongside him and gives him a blow. Stop&Go and 10 second penalty, imposed after 25 minutes of analysis by the jury during a red flag that stopped the race to clear the track of debris.

The mechanics patch up the fighters in the garages, scotch tape, glue and scissors. Hamilton also cleans it up on his own. Vettel takes off his helmet, his eyes are wide open. He explains to Maurizio Arrivabene what happened, the Ferrari team principal reassures him, nods his head, then will say:
"It's not our style to complain. But starting from Bottas' episodes with Kimi and arriving at Vettel's episode with Hamilton, one wonders whether we are in F1 or at the Colosseum. If we are at the Colosseum, just say it and we will all fall in line".
Maurizio Arrivabene, Ferrari team principal, comments on what happened in the race between Hamilton and Vettel.
"Unequal treatment? Criticizing too much may seem inelegant or an excuse, let's say that when in doubt you don't agree with Ferrari. The important thing is to look ahead and do things well. Yesterday we made a very quick engine change, and today all the team gave a good demonstration when they threw themselves on Kimi's car, preparing it in no time and sending it out taking advantage of the red flag. This is Ferrari, it never gives up and we will never give up. As long as we talk about sport".
To Lauda, who agrees with Hamilton by stating that whoever is in front decides the pace and whoever rear-ends is wrong, he replies:
"Lauda can say what he wants, sometimes he speaks for himself, sometimes for us. We stay silent and work and let him speak. He has his points of view, we have ours. He will continue to speak, we will continue to listen to him. There are still twelve races. Today we fought and unfortunately the facts didn't prove us right, in Austria we will try again more determined than before. Also because we don't talk much but we work a lot".
They can't wait at Mercedes. During the break, the mechanics installed Hamilton's headrest incorrectly, and he restarted with the protection dangling, and was forced to return to the pits. At the same time Vettel also returns to atone for his guilt, which Lewis on the radio considers unfair.
"Not enough 10 seconds".
And Sebastian Vettel says:
"I can't explain why only I received the penalty and not Lewis".
The FIA itself explains it:
"From the telemetry, Hamilton's behavior was regular".
But Seb thinks differently:
"I think the way he behaved on the track wasn't correct. The decision has now been made but I continue to think that in cases like this the penalty must concern both".

Vettel returns to the track seventh, Hamilton eighth. Glued to the end like this, fourth and fifth. Tightly squeezed in hatred.
"Hamilton braked a couple of times, you don't do it like that, I don't know why I got the penalty, I don't know why I got the penalty and he didn't".
Sebastian Vettel thus replies to Lewis Hamilton.
"It's dangerous for those behind, I damaged my front wing, you go and tell him".
Then Vettel talks about the race:
"The car was very good, overall I think it was a good race".
Lewis Hamilton's response is ready and he rejects the accusations.
"I have been asked this question many times and mine is not a real answer: I say that it is visible what happened, it is clear what happened. I say that it is not the conduct expected from a four-time champion of the world, but that's how it went. I recovered from the problems I had and I couldn't do more. I can say with my heart in my hand that I gave everything I could and we hope to do the same in the next race".
So, going back to talking about the offending braking, he concludes:
"It's not true that I braked suddenly. There were several times that the safety car passed at that point where with the curve I couldn't see its lights and therefore I had to control my pace. He probably didn't see me".
The cavalry at the beginning of the season is now just a memory, the duel between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton has definitively heated up. And the behavior of the German Ferrari driver in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix towards the British Mercedes driver only exacerbates the rivalry between the two drivers.
Criticism of Sebastian Vettel also comes from Daniel Ricciardo, winner on the streets of Baku and teammate of the German in 2014 in Red Bull.
"Seb sometimes should think before acting, he is guided by passion and instinct, which sometimes he must keep under control. I respect him for the determination and love he has for this sport, sport, which often leads him to be so aggressive. I respect him and this is something I really like about him".
For his reaction towards Hamilton when the Safety car was on the track, the Ferrari driver was sanctioned with a 10 second penalty. A header that cost the German dearly and which in turn paved the way for the Australian to victory after an incredible comeback.
"I respect Seb a lot for his courage and his love for Formula One, which sometimes turns into aggression. Sometimes he goes crazy. Whether Lewis slowed down or not, he still had the right to dictate the pace, he was he was in the lead and must have felt it was too early to accelerate. Seb was probably a little too excited".

Vettel now has nine points less on his license after the three that were taken from him in Baku. If he were to suffer a further 3 point penalty in the Austrian Grand Prix, he would automatically be disqualified and would not be able to participate in the British Grand Prix.
"I'm on the moon".
Had he ever been anywhere else? Handsome billionaire Lance Stroll is used to the stars. But in fact getting on a Formula 1 podium at 18 years and 239 days, the second youngest to do so after Max Verstappen, takes you into another upper class. Third in the craziest race of the year, where in the free-for-all and especially in the Vettel-Hamilton duel, for once the Canadian Williams rookie is not a protagonist. Overtaken at the finish line by Valtteri Bottas, while his engineers tell him through his headphones, stay calm, concentrate, that's okay too. In fact, it's a miracle.
"Yes it was a crazy and intense Grand Prix, a lot of things happened, I still don't realize, I have no words. I tried to stay focused and stay out of trouble, I let others make mistakes".
Generally, in the very recent past, it was him who provoked them by crumpling the car almost everywhere: withdrawal in Australia, China, Bahrain and Monaco. Eleventh place in Russia and sixteenth in Spain. The turning point was at his home, in Montreal, where he reached the finish line (ninth) and scored points. After a start of the season made of criticism, laughter, poison and suspicion.
"Let's say it's a love-hate relationship with motorsport. We had problems on the first few dates, but the last two have been amazing. The criticisms? I don't listen to them. I already received them last year, when I won in Formula 3, and I received them this season when things didn't go. I'm simply happy, I don't think this podium is revenge. It's a day to remember. And I can still progress. I'll just need some time".
He will have it. Dad Lawrence, 58 years old and with a fortune as a fashion entrepreneur estimated at 2.600.000.000 dollars, is crying. It happens to the rich too.