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Mercedes are denying that Lewis Hamilton initially refused to test in Abu Dhabi this week.
The team agreed that whichever driver won the championship would head to a Petronas event in Malaysia on Monday, while the runner up would remain in Abu Dhabi to test Pirelli's 2017 tyres.
But the German newspaper Bild is claiming that Hamilton was refusing to test on Tuesday.
A team spokesman, however, denied the claims.
"That is not correct," the spokesman is quoted by Sport1 in Germany. "Lewis is still on the schedule and expected to drive."
Hamilton has since taken to the track in Abu Dhabi to sample Pirelli's 2017 rubber.
Amid the controversy over Hamilton's refusal to obey team orders in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, team boss Toto Wolff has dropped a further hint that there is tension within the team by suggesting Hamilton should drive for Red Bull after the Anglo-Austrian team's boss Christian Horner came to the support of Hamilton after the race.
"Maybe he (Hamilton) should drive for him (Horner)," Wolff said on Sunday, to British television, not just to Sky but also to Channel 4 on a separate occasion.
On rumour doing the rounds in Abu Dhabi was that Hamilton even threatened to quit Mercedes after his clash with Nico Rosberg in Spain earlier this year - a threat he refused to deny.
"That's all private stuff," Hamilton said. "It's all in the past so it doesn't really matter."
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (7)
Login to replyDutchTreath
Posts: 5,058
Well maybe he should drive for RBR, less hypocrites over there.
Wolfgang
Posts: 313
RBR will not let him Race thats for sure. They´ve got Ricciardo and Verstappen PLUS Sainz in the background so why should RB be that kind of stupid hiring a "superstar" for a lot of money while they´ve got at least 2 drivers being the same good as Hamilton..
Hamilton has no choice. Either stick to Merc or leave OR go back to McLaren in 2018 when Alonso retired. That´s the only thing that makes sense to me. Ferrari is 100% trying to keep the good team spirit with raikkonnen and vettel so i assume Raikkonen is going to Race for Ferrari in 2018..
DutchTreath
Posts: 5,058
Sorry, I forget to put the ;) mark in my remark. Of course Hamilton will never drive for RBR.
Wolfgang
Posts: 313
This is why all of a sudden ocon was replaced by wehrlein for the tests after the clash in Spain..
Wolfgang
Posts: 313
PS: The fact that Lewis was in the car today testing sais in my point of view everything.
There surely had been a "clear instruction with possible consequences if he´s not going to test" from the team to do it.
Hemex
Posts: 1,322
Reported himself sick after a few laps, apparently. Still feeling a bit under the weather after celebrating Nico's victory, no doubt.
Kevin
Posts: 5,369
"Maybe he (Hamilton) should drive for him (Horner)," Wolff said on Sunday, to British television, not just to Sky but also to Channel 4 on a separate occasion.
Wow, that's big..