Lewis Hamilton has hit back at Nico Rosberg after his Mercedes teammate unleashed a rant about the Brit’s supposed underhand tactics during the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
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Rosberg accused Hamilton of deliberately slowing down to back the German into the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel – a claim Hamilton denies.
The two-time world champion says Rosberg’s rant has “no bearing” on him and that he did not understand the point his teammate was trying to make.
“I don’t even know what his point is. The team made a one-two [finish]. It has no bearing on me right now,” Hamilton is quoted as saying by The Express.
“They said maybe he was just comfortable in second. And that’s the difference between us. I want to win always and I would have done everything to have got past.
“I want to win. I was pushing as hard as I could. I was on the edge, oversteering, and that’s what racing is about.
“There were times last year when I hadn’t won and there are moments you do get frustrated. My approach is that you’ve always got to do a better job. Last year, if I had lost to him [Rosberg] in qualifying or whatever and then, if don’t do it in the race and come second, I would just come away and start from ground zero and try and be better the next time. That’s how I approach it.
“But different people do it different ways. It [Rosberg’s rant] has no bearing on me right now.”
Rosberg’s attack on Hamilton has been seen by many F1 experts to be a sign of mental weakness on the German’s part after he lost out on the 2014 title to Hamilton.
Hamilton has also had the upper hand over Rosberg in 2015, winning two of the opening three races.
The former McLaren man even went as far as to see Rosberg “didn’t try” to put pressure on him in Shanghai.
“I just said to the guys, if I was in second and I had the pace I had in the race, I would have been pushing to be as close as possible to pass him. That’s racing. Nico didn’t try,” Hamilton said.
“Take a step back, this is motor racing man. It is racing. Don’t take away the fun of the racing – it’s racing!
“I want the guy to be up my a**e if he has got that pace to be up my a**e and putting pressure on me. I want to race man. I’m the ultimate race dude.”
Hamilton currently leads the drivers’ standings on 68 points, 13 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel in second.
Rosberg rounds out the top three with 51 points.
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