F1 teams are ‘vomit bags’ for angry drivers

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he had no problem with Lewis Hamilton‘s profane radio messages during the Dutch Grand Prix because the teams play the role of “vomit bags” for their drivers at emotional moments.

Hamilton later apologised for telling the team they had “f–ing screwed” him, although he said he will never apologise for wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

Hamilton was upset at not being given a new set of soft tyres for the restart and was powerless to stop himself sliding from first to fourth.

Wolff said F1 races are always going to feature angry drivers.

“You get emotional… I do too in the race,” Wolff said. “And when you’re the driver in the car, it just comes out of you, you can’t even stop it.

“We’re the trash bin, the vomit bag in the airplane, and we’re taking all that because we need to. This is how it has always been in a relationship between frustrated driver and the pit wall.”

Hamilton had calmed down significantly once getting out of the car and carrying out his media duties.

Wolff said Hamilton did not need much explaining about what had happened.

“We have sat together and we discussed the race strategy. It was something that this morning we decided to take a risk.

“It really backfired for him. I think overall the circumstances, I think having Max behind him and things like that, that was totally unpleasant. But there’s more positives to take. And this is what we have also chatted about: that the car is faster.”